Three hidden benefits of employing mums on your team
It was barely 30 years ago that it was usual for women to give up paid work once they became a mother. Few childcare options and few part time roles provided little choice. And when I contemplate this, I’m grateful for the opportunities my generation has had to enjoy a successful career alongside motherhood.
Perhaps the increase in working women is no surprise when we contemplate that when more women work, economies grow. At a macro-level, it is estimated that narrowing the global gender gap could add as much as $12 trillion to annual global GDP growth in 2025 (McKinsey report – Women Matter: Ten Years of insights into gender diversity, 2017). And what’s great is that we all have an opportunity to make this happen in our own business and to then enjoy the benefits of the growth.
Increase leadership gender diversity
An easy solution is to enable and support women to continue a career alongside motherhood. And specifically, to continue on the leadership path. Yet, not enough businesses recognise this. It can be enormously challenging for women to continue working after children. Many employers still believe a woman’s role is in the home, and we know COVID has not helped shift this attitude. And even more find it impossible to fathom that a mother has any ambition outside of their child. I know, because every week, I take calls from brilliantly capable pregnant women and mums who are treated as dead wood because of growing a human.
As a mum myself, I know how important my career is to me. Frankly, if I was to be the key carer for my children and didn’t do paid work, no-one here would come out of it well. My work is my fuel and energy, and my children are part of my motivation to do a brilliant job.
Employing mothers is a smart move. One CEO I spoke to recently shared that if he had the choice, he would only employ mothers because they are by far his highest performers. But what makes mums such brilliant employees? Why is it critical to have them take centre stage in your business strategy next year?
First off, the transition to motherhood is the hardest any human will experience – physically, emotionally and psychologically. It strips you bare and raw and tests you beyond any limit you thought imaginable. You learn about yourself and about others. About how to get what you need. You learn how to overcome adversity and shine from failure. And you take a journey of resilience, strength, bravery.
And this is only the foundation of benefits that mothers bring to the workplace. Here are three more reasons why you’ll want to hire a mother at the next possible opportunity.
She’s a master negotiator and highly adaptable
Children live in the present, taking every moment as it comes. They have no concept of time and have no fear and no problem in expressing their emotions in the most public of spaces. They are forthright in their opinions and enjoy pushing boundaries. Even the most predictable child is not predictable.
Women become the masters of patient negotiation – have you ever dealt with a child who has flung themselves to the ground, screaming in the middle of the supermarket aisle. And every moment of the day, they are altering plans, managing expectations, squeezing in tasks in small pockets of time, all to accommodate an entirely dependent human being and ensure everyone in the house is fed, watered, entertained and loved.
Many women won’t acknowledge these skills she has developed but I can promise they’ll be there. Skills that are hugely valuable to any business, and not always easy to come by – at least not in one package.
She’s a creative genius
Mothers spend a disproportionate amount of time using their imagination whilst raising children. Whether it’s building a cartoon character out of Duplo (large Lego blocks), finding ways to hide the green veg that will otherwise be thrown on the floor to the patiently attending dog or creating a Space Centre from Amazon boxes and empty paper towel tubes. This is creativity and innovation at its finest.
And further, she is always on the go. Rarely, will you find a mother sitting at her desk all day, even at work. And this is a good thing. We all know that our best ideas come to us when we’re out and about or in the shower or putting on a load of washing or making a cup of tea. Well, this is every mother’s daily life. And they’re full of great ideas that you’re going to want to get your hands on.
She’ll bring diverse perspectives and invaluable insights
An obvious yet important point - women who are mothers bring characteristic diversity to your business; a different perspective, a fresh dynamic, a new way of thinking. All things we know drive innovation, quicker problem-solving and faster decision making. And enable high business performance and commercial success.
And it brings you competitive advantage - through the diversity of thinking, but also because you become a more attractive employer. The most brilliant people want to be employed by the best businesses. By enabling and supporting mothers to thrive in their careers, and becoming known for this, you widen your talent pool significantly.
And of course, if you’re in the business of making mother and baby products or services, or if your clients are then surely, a mother is an essential hire. Who else is better placed to tell you what design function is most helpful when the baby is crawling away from you as you change a nappy or you’ve only got one hand available to cook with because there’s a small child crying in the other arm.
The Office of National Statistics reported in 2019, the average age of mothers rose to 30.7 years. An age by which, you have gained solid industry knowledge and experience. You have weathered storms, made influential relationships, soaked up insider knowledge, mastered all the jargon and contributed vast intellectual capital to any business you’ve worked in. You’re valuable. And you’ve still got many years left before retirement.
So, it makes sense then to retain her, or hire her. Yes, she may need a little flexibility in how she does her job and your business may need to rethink your ways of working a little but that feels like a very small price to pay to secure the best talent for your business. And all the benefits that brings with it.
And I encourage you, if you can see the benefit and want some help to make it happen or if you need more convincing then please get in touch with me. After 20 years working in HR and since working as a leadership coach and trainer, I have brought my skills together with my experience as a working mum to support businesses like you to enable working mothers to succeed in your organisation.
Thank you to Sai de Silva - @scoutthecity - on Unsplash for the image
