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Disclaimer: I’m writing this post very rapidly and may have some grammar mistakes. Focus on the message.
This past year, more and more of my friends have joined the circle of parenthood. I’m getting there soon (real soon).
Some of the mothers go back to their old position after their maternity leave, some quit because they can’t keep up with the intensity of the role alongside to being a new mother.
Others, are looking for a more ‘mom friendly’ job. I HATE THAT DEFINITION.
When building a company, you are not just creating new products, but you are also building a new echo-system and changing society around you.
I’ve seen startups adapting every kind of weird ass work environment trend – from stand up desks, treadmill desks, work from home, bring your dog, live for 6 months in on an island or whatever.
Still the idea of personal development (Remember when this phrase meant more than just biohacking, productivity and GTD?) somehow remains undeveloped.
Guess what, people evolve. They grow up. They might start working for you as a single person, get married and have kids along the way. This is not a problem. This is life. Adapt to it.
Bosses still clinch the minute they hear a women interviewing for the role is a young mother. WHY?
You want your employees to be happy. Trust me, your want them to be very happy in their personal life. Getting married, having kids might be included in that happiness bundle. Be happy for them, be happy for your company.
A friend of mine who actually runs a company told me “the main problem is that their availability is not predictable and they have less time to work”. I also heard “they don’t care about the work, they have their kids on their mind and the puts the company in second priority”. THIS IS SHIT.
If you’re in Startup marketing of any sorts, you probably know Buffer and their amazing blog. And they have an amazing blog right? Hell, they product so much amazing content that no one knows when they find the time to do it.
The person in charge of most of their amazing content is Kevan Lee.
As part of their ‘open’ culture, Buffer has put up a post asking “how much do you work without set hours”.
Now go and see Kevan’s daily schedule: about 7.5 hours a day is dedicated to Family time and spending time with his son.
Would you hire Kevan to work for you? Hell yeah you would! In a heartbeat.
If you feel like your employee’s motherhood is working against your company, or you shouldn’t hire a mother because you are afraid it will damage productivity or availability – you are doing it wrong.
Don’t build a culture where parenthood is an obstacle. Build better companies and focus on culture that matters.