|
 In
these uneasy economic times, we all know money matters but not
as much as family - or at least that is what a survey of working
mothers found. Almost half would take a cut in pay if they
could spend more time with their families.
So what is a working Mom to
do? CareerBuilder offers some
suggestions as well as survey results.
Forty-Three Percent of Working Moms Would Take a Pay Cut to
Spend More Time with Their Kids, CareerBuilder.com’s Annual
Mother’s Day Survey Finds
Chief Sales Officer and Mother of Three Offers Tips for
Gaining a Better Work/Life Balance
 Chicago,
May 7, 2008 - As working moms schedule family time on May
11, many will be hoping to receive the one present you can’t buy
at a store - more quality time with their families. Of the 43
percent of working moms who said they would take a pay cut if it
meant they could spend more time with their kids, 34 percent
stated they would be willing to give up ten percent or more of
their salaries, according to a new CareerBuilder.com survey of
880 women, employed full-time, with children under the age of 18
living at home. For working moms with more than one source of
income, just over half (51 percent) of working moms indicated
they would leave their job if their spouse or significant other
made enough money to support the entire family.
While moms strive to keep a healthy balance between their
professional and personal lives, lack of time with their
children still seems to be an issue. More than a third (34
percent) of working moms said they spend less than three hours
per day with their children. Seventeen percent reported they had
missed three or more significant events in their child’s life in
the last year. Twenty-seven percent had missed two or more.
 Even
when working moms are at home, work can still get in the way of
family time. Sixteen percent of working moms reported bringing
work home at least three days a week, while one-in-five said
work comes home with them every workday. Close to a quarter (24
percent) said work had negatively impacted the relationships
they have with their children.
"More than 25 percent of working moms are
dissatisfied with their work/life balance," said Mary Delaney,
chief sales officer at CareerBuilder.com and mother of three.
"As companies continue to experience a tighter labor market, the
importance of retaining star employees is requiring them to
implement benefits that actually encourage workers to improve
the balance between their professional and family lives. From
flexible work schedules to job sharing to telecommuting,
company-wide work/life initiatives are becoming much more
universal."
 Delaney
recommends the following tips for managing the working mom
balancing act:
1. Sell your boss on a more flexible work
schedule - Start by contacting your human resources
department or consulting the employee manual to determine
whether your company has a telecommuting program already in
place. If one exists, you can build your proposal on actual
policies.
2. Keep one calendar - Unfortunately it’s often
easier to cancel on your child than on a potential client.
Scheduling business and family obligations on the same
calendar will lessen your chances of forgetting a personal
commitment when you’re planning work activities. It will
also help you avoid over-scheduling and alert you if your
commitments are unbalanced.
3. Make time for family - Schedule
activities for only your family on the weekends and when
possible during the week. Also, try to schedule a few
minutes each day to call your children to talk about their
school day as well as plans for the evening.
 4.
Slow down - Stop and enjoy the activities and people
around you, both inside and outside the office. Whenever
possible, schedule time between meetings and leave your
evenings free so you can refuel throughout and at the end
of each day. Resist the urge to bring too many projects
home over the weekends.
5. Share responsibilities - No matter
how efficient you are, there is only so much you can
accomplish in one day. If you're a manager, make sure that
you are delegating appropriately instead of trying to do
everything yourself. Doing so will reduce your workload and
help your staff build their skills.
Story courtesy of:
CareerBuilder.com
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