MOM’S UNITE: Making the public relations workplace friendly for families…

I know this is a gross generalization, but I think lifestyle public relations and especially the consumer product arena (food, beauty, health, etc.) is dominated by women. And where there are ladies there is most likely going to be babies—at least at some stage in the company’s lifecycle. In our company the trend began with our Vice President.  When she became pregnant I had a decision to make: give her the bare minimum in benefits (what the law says you must do) or go for it. We are a growing company and providing good benefits helps us retain good people, but it’s also expensive. Having one of my best people out on full pay for three months was a lot to digest. BUT, that’s exactly what I would want if I were in that position and so, “Do unto others…”

When my VP came back to work we agreed that she could leave at 5:30 p.m. everyday (she has to pick up her adorable little boy) for the first 6 months—that has been extended to forever… Hey, she’s amazing, the job is getting done and apparently it leads to a quality of life that will make it easier for her to stay with our firm. And now, she’s working from home one day a week so she can get personal things done.

What’s the point here? If you work with lots of women you have to plan for things like this. My advice: Be generous and look for loyalty and great work in return. If you’re a small firm you may think you can’t afford it, but you can. What you can’t afford is to have a stressed out, disgruntled employee that resents having to leave her little munchkin at home while she works away creating strategic alliances, promotional platforms and managing high maintenance clients.

My ex-assistant, who has been promoted to a position in our WOM Division, has also just returned from her 3-month sojourn as a new mom (she has an adorable little girl—the cuteness doesn’t stop, who’s next I wonder?…) She feels so comfortable in this “Mom Friendly” atmosphere she pumps away right at her desk.  I didn’t know this until I heard the sound of the pump, an unearthly wheezy whine that could be a sound effect from Star Trek.

So, when you work with mostly women be prepared for the inevitable and remember, you are also helping to raise well-adjusted kids—less stress on mom means less stress on the family.