Survey: Most Working Moms Would Quit Jobs If They Could
According to a new CareerBuilder.com survey of 880 women employed full-time with children under the age of 18 living at home, the necessity of making money is trumping quality time at home. But just more than half (51 percent) of the working moms with more than one source of income said they would leave their job if their spouse or significant other made enough money to support the entire family.
Forty-three percent of the working moms surveyed said they would take a pay cut if it meant they could spend more time with their children. Of that number, 34 percent said they would be willing to give up 10 percent or more of their salaries for the opportunity. Even when they are at home, the respondents said work can still get in the way of family time. Sixteen percent of the working moms reported bringing work home at least three days a week, while one in five said work comes home with them every workday. And in all, close to a quarter (24 percent) said work had negatively impacted the relationships they have with their children.
Mary Delaney, chief sales officer at CareerBuilder.com, 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.