In Part I of Supporting Working Moms During COVID, I offered my thoughts on how managers could best support their working mom employees throughout the pandemic. COVID has shined a spotlight on -- and amplified -- issues that so many working moms face. But these issues existed long before the pandemic, and won’t simply disappear once we return to the office. This post examines some of the ways that employers can support working moms as we eventually transition back to the workplace. (As I caveated in Part I, I focus on working moms as they are generally sharing an outsized share of the work/life burden in the pandemic, but this series certainly may apply to caretakers of all genders and types.)   

We have long been taught to keep our work life and our home life separate - to compartmentalize - with an often unspoken rule that work life takes priority. But these two worlds collided during the pandemic. While working and caring for our kids at the same time has been far from ideal, the fusion of work and home doesn’t have to be all bad. I just found a journal entry from the beginning of the shutdown; I noted my hope that I might be able to maintain this new, slower pace after the pandemic, and take the time to truly enjoy my kids and my life. Hope springs eternal that some of these lessons and intentions can outlast the pandemic.

1. Is a more permanent telework policy feasible? Let’s face it; the genie is out of the bottle here. Many employees have demonstrated throughout the quarantine that they can telework successfully, and that the work product doesn’t suffer. And for working moms in particular, the time saved without a commute translates to additional quality time with their kids, or taking care of chores that were previously pushed to the weekend and interfered with family time, or much-needed time for self-care (which too often is non-existent for working moms). I suspect that many employees (working parents and non-parents alike) will push for additional opportunities to work from home after the pandemic. Employers and managers wishing to be ahead of the curve should start considering whether there is a post-lockdown telework policy that would work for both employer and employees. And if a telework policy is possible, some of the questions you may want to consider include: Will it be offered to all employees or only those who meet certain criteria? If so, what are those criteria? What are the expectations for working from home, and how is performance and productivity being measured when employees aren’t clocking hours at the office? If much of your staff works remotely, how will you maintain the office culture? How might you best use the time when the entire staff is in the office together?

2. What flexible work arrangements can we consider? After months of working from home and settling into new routines, we have seen the difference it makes to have additional time in the morning, or to be home in time to make a real dinner. Working moms may appreciate saving money on before- or after-care if they can arrange their schedule around school times. In addition to offering telework options, employers might consider flexible work arrangements. This might include working earlier or later hours, or working a shorter day in the office and logging back onto work at night, or working four longer days per week in order to have one extra day at home. (The federal government, among other employers, already offers this sort of flexibility.) Many working moms have had no choice during the pandemic but to work outside of the standard 9-5 hours; if an employee did it successfully while managing kids at home, why not allow it once we are back in the workplace? If you are open to flexible work arrangements, are there core times of day when you need everyone to be in the office? How can you structure schedules and meetings so that you are taking advantage of the times that you overlap with one another?

3. What expectations do I need to set/reset for the return to the office? When we eventually return to our post-pandemic “normal,” we will have been away from the office for many months. By necessity, we have been given more autonomy for how and when we do our work; we are trusted to do our work without punching a time clock or putting in face time. Our modes of communication have shifted, and perhaps our relationships with colleagues and supervisors have changed. It may well take time for everyone to adjust. What are your expectations regarding required time spent in the office, and checking in with supervisors? Even with a vaccine on the horizon, we might be wearing masks and socially distancing for a while. Some colleagues might continue working from home. Given these realities, what are the ideal methods of communication among team members? Once you clarify your expectations as a manager, be sure that you communicate those clearly to your team. 

4. Should we institute a “sweatpants are appropriate work attire” policy? Ok I know that’s unrealistic, but a person can dream, right? On a serious note, consider whether any pre-pandemic office policies could or should be tweaked given what worked (or didn’t work) for your organization during the pandemic. Does the dress code need a facelift? Might you consider policies surrounding video conferencing? Ideal meeting lengths? Communication methods? Did your team have “work buddies” to help cover meetings and assignments while team members were managing work and family, and could that be helpful in the post-pandemic workplace?Working moms want to be great parents and solid employees, and we are giving it our all in trying to accomplish that. But these days, we could all use a little bit of extra support - before we reach our breaking point.

The pandemic has been challenging, to say the least. And yet, there is a real opportunity for employers to adapt to the changing times and support their employees in new and exciting ways. The time to begin planning is now, while we have the time to reflect on what changes we would like to see. This can be a lot to take on, especially while managers are dealing with the effects of the pandemic themselves - don’t forget to take care of yourself throughout this! The call here is not meant to pile additional work on you without attention to your needs. Instead, the intention is to surface some considerations to ensure that managers are looking at all angles of the problem, and to encourage you to set aside thinking/planning time up front to prepare for the organizational change that seems likely to meet us on the other side of the pandemic. And we are here to support you as you continue to support your employees.