In college we were a batch of 40 girls. Of which only 10 are still working and even lesser number of them are working to their full potential. A common thread that runs through any woman’s life is – she studies, works for a few years, gets married, continues working, has a child and that’s where the thorns start pricking in a bed of roses.
The challenges of motherhood conquer every other hurdle a woman has faced. Some look for part time jobs, others start working after the baby begins school and yet the tug of war remains.
They are what I call the ‘Parenting career woman’. These women face the perennial dilemma of - 'I need to make these choices because my family is a priority' or 'I need to make these choices to make my life work.' Eventually they pick one.
I have always come across stereotypical issues coming in the way of a woman while taking a call on their career. It is easy to get swept away by the overwhelming need to choose one – profession or managing a home. It is their own ghosts and mindsets that come in the way of work-life balance.
But there are also women who have kept working even after having children, taken a break for them and continued to climb the corporate ladder after the break. The societal understanding of marriage as a threat to career or vice versa is slowly changing.
Here are some tips that suits most of us:
1) Set your priorities. You have to have a schedule for yourself. That includes work, family time and time for your own self.
2) Don’t give up too easily. Some people also look for less important roles, as women don’t necessarily want to get to the top; they want to be good at what they do.
3) Slow down or even take a break if the juggle is too much to handle. Enhance your skills in the meantime, so that when you return the organization cannot overlook you.
4) Big job is too big for me syndrome – Most women feel that they will not be able to handle the top job as it comes with bigger responsibilities. What they forget is that with higher responsibilities comes empowerment. Look for ways to lighten the load by delegating work and focus on the most important deliveries.
Once Jack Welch of General Electric had said, “There’s no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.” It is however true for both men and women.
Work life balance for women can be dealt with. It just needs some reflection of women on their life with some support from organizations.
Reduced aspirations do not mean women employees are not talented or good at what they do. While women are given flexible working hours, stay at home options – they should also be judged by their output and results. It should not be about ‘where she is working from’; it should be about ‘what she is delivering’.
In today’s 24x7 connected business world, work can be done from anywhere and at any time. It does not have to mean that an employee works less. Instead it means that organizations are empowering employees to do their work on a schedule that works for both. So what if she is working from her dining table? This kind of flexibility increases employee morale and woman executives are able to manage their life and career well.
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