Smart Companies Offer Work/Life Perks

In my recent travels, I read an article in United’s Hemisphere magazine by Lisen Stromberg Beating the Parent Trap that discussed the value to companies that offer work/life balance perks. News studies confirm that companies with a more gender-diverse talent pool had 15 percent higher returns, regardless of the industry. While work/life balance considerations are critical to working parents, a more flexible workplace benefits everyone. Consider a 2015 EY Global Generations survey of full-time workers that confirmed two-thirds of Millennial men would change jobs, give up a promotion, or relocate in order to secure better work/life balance.

Family matters and Millennial workers want more flexibility and options to work and live the life they want. This is confirmed by a survey of Millennial workers showing that: 1) 90% believe parental leave is extremely important; 2) 79% say they’d be happier if their company offered more flexible working arrangements; and 3) 61% of women report they expect to pause their career to care for children.

This article is a fresh look at what we already know–flexible workplaces and support for working parents is critically important. Ms. Stromberg concludes in her article that “….with the demand for talent greater than ever, wise companies are recognizing that offerings like pumping rooms are not “perks” but rather prerequisites for attracting and retaining the best employees.”

To learn more, read the article linked herein or Ms. Stromberg’s book

Secrets to Balancing Work and Family Life

All working parents struggle with work/life balance issues and there is no perfect solution. It is a continuing process of give and take and figuring out what works for you and your family at any given time in your lives. I always find it helpful to hear what others have to say about it. Kara Heissman writing for Lifehack notes what all of us know–the conflict between work and family is a common source of stress. She offers the following insights that helped her:

1. I made the decision to find balance.
2. I involved people I trust in the process.
3. I established limits and boundaries  between family and work.
4. I accepted that imbalance is sometimes unavoidable.

In her blog she admits there is not one size fits all solution. I think we can all agree with her.

You Are Invited: Work-Life Balance Program–June 28th

A child’s soccer game at the same time as a client dinner. An anniversary dinner postponed because of a last-minute meeting. Racing from a band concert to join a conference call. Trying to balance work, family and love can be messy. It’s moments like these that beg the question, can we truly have it all?

The conversation about work/life balance happens within ourselves, with our partners and with our workplaces … usually all at the same time. Trying to fit these pieces together can make us question how we assign our identity and even our worth. But all three — work, family and love — can exist together. How we embrace this dynamic conversation is the critical focus of this talk.

In Work. Family. Love. Conversations that Last a Lifetime, licensed clinical psychologist, Northwestern University professor and working mother Dr. Alexandra H. Solomon will offer tips and tools for defining boundaries and creating flexibility in personal and familial growth, ensuring professional and personal happiness.personal happiness.

Tuesday, June 28
4:30 p.m. Registration
5:00-7:00 p.m. presentation and light fare
Jenner & Block, 353 N. Clark St., 45th Floor, Chicago
Free event but RSVPs are required.
RSVP by emailing cok@family-institute.org or calling 312-609-5300, ext. 483

This is a wonderful, free program that addresses issues of interest to all of us. Please consider joining us for this special, no cost program. All are welcome.

Summer Savings- Chicago Museums Waive Admission Fees

Heading to a museum is great way to spend time with your children and ignite their interest in science and the arts, but the costs can really add up. This Summer, however, many Chicago museums are reducing prices and many even have days where the admission fee will be waived all together.

Some of the deals include:

• Art Institute of Chicago: Free for Illinois residents, 5 to 8p.m. on Thursdays
• Chicago History Museum: Free for kids 12 and younger.
• The Field Museum: Free for teachers and active military personnel, free for everyone June 21, 22 and 23.
• Museum of Science & Industry: Free for Illinois residents June 1-3, 6-8, September 6-9, 12-16, 19-23, 26-30, October 4-6, November 3, 10, December 1.
• The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: Free for children 3 and younger.

 

Read More: Chicago Museum Free Days

Making a “Connection Bridge” With Your Kids

One of the most difficult issues for working parents is having to be away from their kids–whether it is to go to work, travel for business, share parenting responsibilities with a partner, or simply drop your kids off at day care or school. In her recent blog, Andrea Nair suggests you try making a “connection bridge” between you and your kids for when you are apart. Her suggestions are threefold:

1. Prepare them in advance by filling their “tanks” with love and attention before you leave.
2. Young children can tolerate being away from their caregivers when they know exactly when they will see them again–use a time marker they will understand like “I look forward to seeing you right after circle time.”
3. In addition to knowing when you will return, find a small object that a child could keep in a lunch box or pocket to hold when they are missing you such as small rocks, old pieces of costume jewelry or even sticky notes.

Her blog provides some helpful insights and thoughts on how to make any separation more tolerable for you and your kids.

Relax, Breathe and #LetGo

  Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden is on a mission to get women to relax, breathe and #LetGo. The UK based organization believes: about 40% of women feel like they are about to burnout trying to be the “perfect” everything; and, 80% of women say they put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect (even though we accomplish an average of 26 tasks a day!). They have created a moving YouTube video of senior women discussing their lives and what they most wish they could do again. It is a really important reminder of what matters most in our busy lives as we continue efforts to balance real life and work responsibilities.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch this short YouTube video.

10 questions with a Chicago stay-at-home mom who’s back to lawyering

In 2008 Julianne Walsh, a real estate attorney, decided to stay at home with her two young children.  Five years later, she was back at it, this time as the attorney-in-residence at a litigation management software and support company.

Ms. Walsh sat down with Jenny B. Davis at the ABA Journal to discuss her experience transitioning back into the workforce.  Read it here.

Ms. Walsh will be answering reader questions on Google Hangouts session with the ABA’s 10 Questions Live on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 2 p.m. ET.

Celebrate International Women’s Day 2016 #PledgeforParity

The theme of International Women’s Day 2016 is PLEDGE FOR PARTIY. While we have much to celebrate today, progress towards gender parity has slowed in many places. The World Economic Forum predicted in 2014 that it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity. One year later in 2015, they estimated that a slowdown in the already glacial pace of progress meant the gender gap would not close entirely until 2133.

What can we do to celebrate International Women’s Day 2016? Everyone–men and women alike–can pledge to take a concrete step to help achieve gender parity more quickly–whether to help women and girls achieve their ambitions, call for gender-balanced leadership, respect and value differences, develop more inclusive and flexible cultures, or root out workplace bias. Each of us can be a leader within our own spheres of influence and commit to take pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity.

Gender parity is critical to working parents and ongoing efforts to ensure that both moms and dads have the opportunities they need to succeed professionally and personally.

Join others globally and MAKE A PLEDGE NOW!

Finding Your Working Parent Style

When it comes to parenting, there is no “one size fits all.”  When I became a parent, I wanted to do everything the “right way.”  I wanted to breastfeed up until my son was 2 years old just as the World Health Organization recommended.  I made our family eat dinner at 4:30 pm so that my son would be in bed by 6pm and sleep through the night.  I wanted to make my own organic baby food so my son has a healthy diet.  I did this because I thought this is what being a good parent meant.  Guess what?

I WAS MISERABLE!

This was the complete opposite of the lifestyle I had before I became a mom.  I loved traveling, volunteering for causes I cared about, and working as an attorney.  It did not make me happy being cooped up at home trying to do everything “right.”  Worst of all, my son was around an unhappy mom.

Bottom line: Being an unhappy parent was affecting my ability to be a good parent.

So I decided to start parenting on my own terms.  After months of stress and heartache breastfeeding because we are all told that “breast is best,” I fully embraced formula feeding and so did my son.  I felt human again.  It helped me feel that I was more than a food supply to my son.  I was also his mom.  It was also great to have the ability to go out and about without having to pump every two hours or worry that my son was starving himself because he wanted the boob.  It also allowed my husband to feed and bond with his son.  I felt a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders when I stopped caring about being judged as a bad mom for not trying hard enough to breastfeed.  I was able to spend time away from my son without worrying and come home a happy and recharged mom.

Second, I stopped fighting my night owl ways.  My husband and I went back to eating dinner at our usual time.  We also brought our son out to dinner with us on many occasions.  This has been a fantastic experience because my son has been exposed to so many different kinds of food.  He also had to learn how to entertain himself and behave at a restaurant.  I do try to be considerate to other restaurant patrons and take my son to family-friendly restaurants or very loud restaurants.  I have learned that sometimes my son is fantastic in a restaurant and sometimes he’s a terror.  It is inevitable that your child will have a meltdown in public.  You will get death stares but at the end of the day just remember that you will probably never see those people again.

Finally, I found a way to incorporate my son into my personal and professional interests.  I decided to start my own law practice in order to give my husband and I the flexibility to spend time with our son.  I do a lot of work during the evening and weekends because that’s when my husband is available.  My son loves coming to the office because I keep toys and a bouncy house there for him.  When I have to file documents in court, we go together and he stamps them.  He is also great at mailing documents.  He has already been before a judge!

Also, my son has served as my date to many fundraisers and events for organizations I love supporting.  At 2 years old, he has met business owners, chefs, and politicians.  We both hit the pavement together to collect signatures when we were assisting with a friend’s campaign.  Lastly, I learned that like his mom, he is a great traveler.  We took advantage of the fact that he can fly for free as a lap child.  At 2 years old, he has been to Orlando, Miami, Las Vegas, Seattle, Hawaii, Jamaica, Cozumel, and the Cayman Islands.

What I learned through all this is that there is no “right” way to parent.  Being a parent does not mean you have to lose your sense of self or stop doing the things you once enjoyed.  I encourage parents struggling to find their new normal to define it for yourself.  It will not happen overnight and you will have bad days.  Having kids is a personal choice and raising them is a series of personal choices.  Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world and what we all need is support rather than criticism.

When I found my parenting style, I became a happy parent.  I enjoy the time I spend with my son, and I love showing him my passions.  In turn, I think I have a happy child who loves spending time with me.

Why I’m Quitting My Job as a Stay-at-Home Mom!

 

Ashley Abramson, writing in the HuffPost Endeavor blog, shares her candid insight on making a decision to become a full time stay-at-home mom for her son and also her later decision to re-enter the work world. Her blog is humorous, real and full of considerations that every working mom thinks about all of the time. The take away for me in reading her blog is what I knew already–you have to make the decision that is right for you and your family AND you need to appreciate that what is the best choice may change from time to time.

In thinking about the pros and cons of returning to work, Ashley comments: “…Once I took the leap, I realized I’m a better mom when I’m doing what makes me feel alive. I’m a stronger parent while Ollie’s at daycare, not when I plop him in front of the TV so I can focus on a deadline. So I put him in childcare twice a week to pursue freelancing, and just like that, we found our sweet spot. He loves daycare, I love working, and we’re both giddy upon our reunion.” She goes on to explain why staying home was the right choice, and later, returning to work was the right choice too: “…Now, my son is almost two, and, as fate would have it, I accepted a full-time job — my dream gig, writing copy for an agency. All because I quit my job almost two years ago. All because I had time to invest in what brings me life — time I never would have had if I wouldn’t have taken this roundabout path through stay-at-home motherhood.”

While this blog is not about working lawyer moms, Ashley’s thoughts and comments are equally applicable to all working parents.