The Trifecta of a Positive Workplace Experience for Mothers

Mothers make up 14% of the workers in the US, according to USA Facts. Yet, in our new 2023 report, we discovered 1 in 4 mothers have left the workforce after having children due to factors such as not having a positive workplace. Employers face growing worker shortage gaps and with a fluctuating economy, they can no longer afford to lose a pool of valuable employees. Employer success and longevity requires tapping into the insights of working mothers to understand the trifecta of a positive workplace experience.

In this blog post, we will cover:

• What is a positive workplace experience in general
• The three workplace elements needed for working mothers
• How employers can take action

What is a positive workplace experience?

A positive workplace experience can mean different things to different people. Organizational leaders often turn to the theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to help identify what motivates employees. The theory (as explained by Indeed) suggests five categories of basic human needs help make employees feel satisfied with their work life:

• Physiological needs: Employees have basic needs to perform their job, including a steady income, access to restrooms in a physical workplace, and so on
• Safety: Employees need to feel physically and emotionally safe in their workplace, meaning they can voice their opinions and contribute to discussions without repercussions
• Love and belonging: Similar to safety, employees want to build positive relationships with their coworkers and feel they are wanted and needed
• Esteem: Employees need to feel like what they do matters to the organization and that they have room to grow, and to understand how to get there
• Self-actualization: At the end of the day, employees need to feel empowered and able to succeed in their role while also taking on new challenges, without negative impacts to their personal lives
  

For mothers, a positive workplace experience involves all these things and more. In the Working Mothers Speak: 2023 Report, one respondent stated: “I want workplace support in tangible ways. Show me the thoughtful pumping space. Show me the paid leave recognizing that parental leave is not a vacation and saved vacation/sick time is very necessary when you have a child starting daycare and sick all the time. I have "support" but it's very empty." Filling that empty support requires a three-pronged approach.

Breaking down the trifecta of a positive workplace for mothers

A positive workplace for mothers involves three main elements: manager support, organizational support, and team support. This trifecta contributes to a supportive culture and climate for working mothers and for all employees.

Manager support

Seeing parents in leadership roles and having a manager who sets the example for flexible work schedules really does make a difference in employee retention. As one respondent reported in the Working Mothers Speak: 2023 Report: “My boss is a mother as well and has provided me with so much flexibility. It is not the culture of my organization, but directly reporting to someone who always encourages me to put my family first has been a tremendous blessing.” In fact, the same report revealed 42% of respondents feel more supported by their managers than their organizations.

Organizational support

So how can organizations best support their working mothers? Nearly 9 out of 10 working mothers list flexibility as the top factor to feeling supported at work, per the Working Mothers Speak: 2023 Report.

Organizations can provide support in many ways such as adopting flexible work policies, especially if the employee’s role can be performed remotely. A respondent in the Working Mothers Speak: 2023 Report report stated:

“My employer does not allow remote work, despite much of the work being done in a virtual manner. This policy negatively impacts my availability for childcare pickups and drop-offs, as well as the amount of time I am home to care for and bond with my daughter.”

Flexibility can also include letting employees work in other locations (outside of their home or assigned office) for an extended period of time, or working later hours. For organizations that require employees to be in person, flexibility can look like four-day work weeks such as what this founder has recently introduced or job sharing.

Comprehensive benefits such as paid leave or childcare options also help mothers feel supported at work. In some cases, not having access to these benefits forces women to make tough decisions about whether or not to stay at their jobs after having children.

Team support

In addition to manager and organizational support, for working mothers to feel truly supported at work, they need to be aligned with their team. Working mothers want to be valuable members of their team, helping to step in when needed to support and of course, get help when they start to feel overloaded. 50% of working mothers say an unmanageable workload is a factor leading them to feel unsupported at work, per the Working Mothers Speak: 2023 Report. 

The trifecta of positive workplace experience depends on all three elements working together. The team collaborates to balance the workload, the organization provides flexible work policies to enable employees to work around important life responsibilities, and the manager is open and transparent in their communication to help team members feel heard and seen.

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An action plan for employers

Employers can take many actions to build a positive experience that benefits more than just working mothers. Building the systemic, structural, and cultural shifts will help retain and engage employees. In turn, employers will gain an edge in today’s rapidly evolving and competitive labor market. Here are three areas for employers to take action.

1. Support career growth and development

• Provide incentives for employees to join and stay at your organization such as opportunities to highlight strong leadership
• Enable team members to advance within your organization, whether it involves people management and being a strong individual contributor
• Provide opportunities for parents, and mothers specifically, to informally support one another; for example, through a Slack channel

2. Provide flexibility and benefits

• Develop transparent flexible work policies in all forms from part-time schedules to job sharing, where available
• Provide alternative flexibility or perks for employees who cannot work remotely
• Offer childcare benefit options such as dependent care flex spending accounts or backup childcare

3. Reinforce a positive culture and climate

• Enforce a strategic change management approach to implement formal policies and practices
• Offer training and coaching for managers on important issues such as managing a remote or hybrid team
• Set expectations on work schedules and communication outside of normal working hours

Ready to get started on improving your workplace?

Listen to Your Mothers spent seven months collecting feedback from working mothers on how to improve the workplace experience. Read through the “Working Mothers Speak: 2023 Report” to understand what matters most to working mothers and how to continue retaining 14% of the U.S. labor pool.

Need help getting started? Listen to Your Mothers offers organizations an in-depth assessment, direct implementation support and training services to help organizations attract and retain top talent. Reach out today to learn more.