Working Moms Across Canada Need More Flexibility and Supportive Leadership at the Office

Survey

Thank you to everyone who filled out the Connect Moms, momcafe and Briefcase Moms Workplace Survey. The information you provided has been drawn upon to draft the following story. We look forward to continuing to be your career resource.

Working Moms across Canada need more flexibility and supportive leadership at the officeMoms give insight into how employers can attract and retain key employees who are looking to balance work and family

Vancouver, BC (December 19, 2008) - Higher education levels and established careers are the norm for the majority of working moms across the country and these valued employees are seeking more flexibility and supportive leadership at the office, according to a recent online member opinion survey conducted by Connect Moms, momcafé and Briefcase Moms, which have a combined membership of more than 10,000 professionally-minded moms across Canada.

Below are the highlights from the online member opinion survey conducted in November 2008 as well as some insightful comments from moms on work-life balance. The founders of Connect Moms, momcafé and Briefcase Moms as well as moms from Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto are available to discuss their ideas on innovative workplaces geared to mothers trying to balance work and family. Please contact Jill Earthy (jill@momcafe.net / 604-290-4236) to arrange an interview or for further details on the informal online member survey and more information on the professional mom organizations.

Innovative workplace opinions and ideas survey highlights

* 92 percent of respondents would like a “flexible work environment” including the  ability to leave early or arrive late to the office, work from home or in transit, negotiating a shorter or condensed workweek, and banking time to take extra days off as needed
* 83 percent of respondents would like “supportive leadership”
* 54 percent of respondents indicated they would be willing to take a reduction in salary in exchange for flexibility and other support programs
* 57 percent of respondents have a combined annual household income greater than $100,000
* 46 percent of respondents have an undergraduate degree
* 25 percent of respondents have a masters degree
* 50 percent of respondents have two children
* 60 percent of respondents are currently working full-time
* 42 percent of respondents would like to be working part-time
* 35 percent of respondents would like to be working full-time
* 261 Canadian moms from coast to coast completed the online survey in November 2008

Canadian Moms comment on workplaces encouraging work-life balance

“While there are more and more moms returning to work after maternity leave, in many cases, the mom is still considered the primary caregiver at home, who is responsible for looking after the children and other household duties,” commented Jill Earthy, co-founder, momcafé. “It is critical for employers to recognize that more often than not, the worlds of home and work life collide so it is important that these key employees have the flexibility and support to manage both successfully.”

When asked, “In your own words, what are the key ingredients for your career to fit with your life as a mom,” Canadian moms recommended the following suggestions on flexibility and supportive leadership:

“Flexibility is key, with a corporate culture of accepting and promoting women and assisting them in making their career as a working mom successful without hindering their efforts as a mom.”

“A supportive, working environment that has a flexible schedule. This allows me to work, and focus on my job while I am there, not to be distracted by my children’s issues. Also, I am more willing to put in extra time, if I can do it on my terms, not just because it is the traditional hours of work.”

About Connect Moms, momcafé and Briefcase Moms

Connect Moms, momcafé and Briefcase Moms joined forces to help educate and connect progressive employers and professionally-minded moms seeking balanced success both at work and at home. Together, they represent more than 10,000 corporate, entrepreneurial and stay-at-home moms across the country. Connect Moms, momcafé and Briefcase Moms invited members to fill out an online survey between November 10 to 30. Results were compiled from a total of 261 respondents.

Connect Moms connects professionally minded moms with careers and inspiring content. We seek out companies whose workplace environments recognize that the best employees have different needs at different times throughout their careers. We strive to attract companies who offer results-oriented and flexible cultures in order to present job opportunities and career-related content that reflect the dynamic needs of working moms.

momcafé is connecting and inspiring like-minded moms by providing an interesting and supportive forum in which moms can learn from each other and share ideas. This is achieved through regular meetings, quarterly seminars and access to online resources. momcafé is designed to support the dialogue between educated, savvy women who are striving to balance their lives. 

Briefcase Moms is a unique coaching program, based on Lisa Martin’s best-selling book Briefcase Moms: 10 Proven Practices to Balance, that guides mothers to develop better strategies to manage work and family.  Martin is the CEO of Martin Group International – a work-life coaching company that delivers customized programs to organizations looking to retain and advance their female talent.

Elena Verlee - Adventures of an Expat Mom:Moving Out and Moving In

“What do you think of living here for a year?” asks my husband, phoning from the Philippines where he was away on business. “A year?” I ask, stunned. Our new baby was just eight weeks old, and along with my six year old son we were supposed to follow him to Manila for our yearly winter getaway, but a year seems a long time to be away from home.

We talk through the pros – I have family there, with the baby so young it would be great to have a live-in maid and nanny that costs about $100 a month in local rates, the weather would be warm year round and as he builds his company, I wouldn’t have to work.

Hmm. Being a mom entrepreneur that doesn’t qualify for Canada’s year of maternity leave, I’d have to be honest that was the clincher for me. I don’t even listen as he talks about the cons. I pack up a couple of suitcases, gleefully loading only summer wear and the kids and I are on the plane to Manila two weeks later.

Moving in with Friends
Lucky for us, we have a friend that offers us two bedrooms in her home to get settled in. I’m a bit nervous moving in – it’s one thing to like a friend, it’s another to have to live in the same house for an unspecified amount of time. However, this isn’t like the college days where we move onto a friend’s couch. This house is more of a mansion, complete with three maids, two drivers and two security guards.

Sometimes we don’t even realize the other one is home and communicate via text messaging. Text messaging is a way of life here, with approximately a billion messages being sent and received every day! Even those on the poverty line have cell phones and it’s a requirement for staff – whether household help, office workers or even drivers – to have a cell to communicate with employers. It’s their version of email on a Blackberry.

How I know I’m in Manila
“Please don’t drive here,” my brother begs me. Not that he’s worried I’ll get into an accident, or I’ll get lost. He’s just worried I’ll taint the family name with my driving habits. Both my brothers are race car drivers, and among other things, they have taught over 10,000 people racing, road safety or defensive driving techniques. Unfortunately, I am not one of those 10,000 so I agree to give the keys to someone else.

Not that I mind. Driving here is like a game of “chicken” to see who will flinch, maps are useless as new streets pop up constantly and one-way streets change direction on a policeman’s whim, especially if he wants to make a little money on the side. Sometimes there are three or four of them on a corner, waiting for unsuspecting drivers to break a law. Traffic here can also boggle the mind, it can take you 45 minutes to an hour to travel five kilometers if you travel to the wrong place, at the wrong time.

What I’m looking forward to
Still, as I wake up each day with the opportunity to enjoy my kids on a leisurely basis, I am grateful. My husband is grateful I’m not so grumpy. The transition to having two kids versus one is eased by having someone else to help with the chores. Today, as I put on my daily uniform of shorts, tank top and flip flops and try to decide whether I should have an hour footscrub and pedicure for $10 at a high-end salon, or an in-home massage for $10, my vanity also decides the year here will be well worth it.

© Elena Verlee 2008

Elena Verlee is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and author of a publicity guide for mom entrepreneurs called www.PRinYourPajamas.com She is also a mentor coach accredited by the International Coaching Federation. Get her free life coaching course for moms at www.elenaverlee.com . Stay tuned for more of her adventures as an Expat Mom.

The Perfect Gift Solution for Busy Moms This Holiday Season

By Julie Selby

It’s that time of year again – holiday shopping. Unless you’re one of those super Mums that have it all done and dusted in November, pre–holiday season can be a highly stressful time for the rest of us. It’s not just the buying of gifts, it’s the time it takes to think about what each person wants, work out where to get it, fight your way through the crowds and manage your budget so you’re not over spending. Often you end up giving something that your friends and family don’t really need or want. Plus, for many Mums out there, there is that niggling thought in the back of their heads: what is this, “spend now, save later, accumulate more stuff,” world we live in really teaching our children this holiday season?

It seems that Vancouver-based DreamBank has appeared on the scene just in time. DreamBank is a new model for gift giving where you can give and receive the perfect gift and do good at the same time. With DreamBank, dreamers post a ‘dream gift; that they really want from friends and family for holidays, birthdays and other commemorative occasions on www.dreambank.org. A dream gift posted on DreamBank really takes the guesswork out of gift giving. The result is fewer unwanted gifts that end up sitting in the closet collecting dust, and more appreciation for the actual act of giving.

Not only does DreamBank make life easier by cutting down your shopping time and trimming unnecessary spending (no wrapping paper, no bows, and no returns!), but it also offers a great value lesson for your little ones. Helping your kids create a profile and post their “dream gift” teaches them about saving towards something special instead of just accumulating more “stuff”. They learn about helping the environment by reducing waste caused by unwanted gifts, and that their dream gift is also helping others in need, as when you post a dream for child, you select which charity their dream will support.

With DreamBank “everyone wins”. You can win by cutting down on your shopping time and only spending money you can afford to spend; the “Dreamer” wins by getting what they actually want instead of things they won’t use or don’t need; the planet wins when we reduce the waste caused by the shipping and manufacturing of unwanted gifts; and because DreamBank is a socially responsible company – several international charities also get a hand. Unlike many companies that give a percentage of profit to charities, DreamBank donates 10% of its net transaction revenue proportionately, as decided by the Dreamers, to the list of selected charities.

Uploading a dream to DreamBank is free. For each contribution there is a $2.25 transaction fee (less than the cost to wrap and ship a gift). When you are ready to cash in your dream gift there is a 2.5% fee (Dreamers are encouraged to add this to the cost of the dream gift when they initially set it up).

If you’re working nine to five, juggling soccer games, ballet lessons and 3 square healthy meals a day, it’s nice to have a little help in the gift giving area. DreamBank helps moms by offering a quick and easy way out of their shopping woes if they need to buy a gift for someone, plus it helps teach kids how to save for something special. Here’s an idea… while you’re helping your youngsters post their dream gifts, you might as well post that much needed spa holiday for yourself!

Julie has been in marketing and advertising for over 18 years, joining DreamBank earlier
this year as Marketing Director. She loved the idea behind DreamBank and the socially responsible attitude of the company. She is also a fan of ConnectMoms especially since she has discovered she is having twins!

No More Desk Miles-Creating Results Driven Careers

No More Desk Miles

Canadian companies have an opportunity to increasingly highlight the importance of an individual’s family life within their work expectations. With the introduction of technology to our work environments, for many career positions it is no longer about “desk miles” but rather about results. It is possible to offer a flexible schedule or a reduced work week if the goals of the organization are being met. It is also important to remember that an individual may only need a reduced work week for a certain period of their parenting cycle. The employees that are offered a bespoke work experience are also the ones that will be more loyal and willing to invest back into the company as their time becomes increasingly available as their families mature. Investing in creative solutions for employees can be a win-win for both individuals and corporations.

There was a very interesting article in The Vancouver Sun, “A New Approach to Leadership”, that discussed the Scandinavian leadership model that values consensus and collaboration over hierarchy and self promotion within the workplace. In Scandinavian countries success is driven by thinking and decision-making that is more collaborative, more feminine, than the North American male dominated model. This model is well suited to the current global, knowledge based economy we live in and is well suited to developing a workplace model that works for professionally minded mothers.

In Scandinavian countries, such as Denmark and Sweden, there is a real understanding of the need to include family life within the makeup of the workforce. Parental leave is viewed as part of the process of professional development, paternity leave is offered and the emphasis is placed on ensuring work is a compliment to an individuals life. Inger Buus, a researcher at the Danish Institute, wrote a report in 2004 about this Scandinavian leadership model that is based on “respect for the individual”.

Recognizing a results focused work environment will allow employers to create flexible work arrangements in order to attract and retain highly talented candidates who would normally opt to stay Canadian companies have an opportunity to increasingly highlight the importance of an individual’s family life within their work expectations. With the introduction of technology to our work environments, for many career positions it is no longer about “desk miles” but rather about results. It is possible to offer a flexible schedule or a reduced work week if the goals of the organization are being met. It is also important to remember that an individual may only need a reduced work week for a certain period of their parenting cycle. The employees that are offered a bespoke work experience are also the ones that will be more loyal and willing to invest back into the company as their time becomes increasingly available as their families mature. Investing in creative solutions for employees can be a win-win for both individuals and corporations.