Mothers might make the best employees

“You’ll see when she gives birth, she’ll be on sick leave all the time.”

This was a not-so-pleasant remark made by a client of mine to my manager, right in front of me, when I was pregnant. The comment was delivered in a humorous manner but did it make it better? No. Not at all.

This comment is a projection and a generalization, spreading the idea that as a new mother I was not going to be fully committed to my job anymore. And yes, it made me question my own loyalty towards my job. Was I going to be a woman who would be constantly taking leave for her child? As I was questioning my professional loyalty, I was also feeling conflicted and with that, another question arouses: would I not attend to my child if she needed me?

Then I gave birth, and that was definitely a transformative experience. Nothing prepares you for parenthood. There are books about parenting but no training, no schooling, no internship, and certainly no exams for you to be ready. Being a mother and going back to work was a baptism of fire. This was also a revelation.

I, for one, could multitask at an unprecedented level.

I went back to the office when my child was about 4 months old and in the nursery. The government allows young mothers to work one hour less a day until the baby reaches 9 months. As a breastfeeding mother, I took advantage of this given hour during my lunch break, in order to breastfeed her at the nursery.

Then, I was pumping milk at the office to make sure she would have milk whenever she needed it.

“Pumping milk” in the office, writing this sentence is awkward, imagine experiencing it.

Yes, nature was invading the corporate world… my body was producing milk to feed my child, and I was equipped with a slightly noisy pump (although are there any truly silent pumps?). I was also on top of my laptop, checking emails, making and taking calls while figuring out marketing strategies for the brands I was looking after.

I learned the importance of substance.

There’s a difference between “being busy” and “producing work”. Unfortunately, I have witnessed employees leaving the office only after their bosses have left, to project the image of hard-working employees. To me, this is a silly game.

As a mother, the concept of “busy” simply does not exist. The only thing you are going to do is productive work as there is no extra time in a day. Coming into work an hour earlier or leaving an hour later was simply impossible when you have a baby that must be fed several times a day…Unless I wanted to be attached to a breast pump. Therefore, I was focused on, applying my beloved Pareto principle or 80/20 rule to everything I was working on. Getting to the core, finding the priorities, taking actions that would have a true impact on the bottom line.

I learned compassion and this made me a better manager.

I actually became more human in the workplace. Yes, productivity and efficiency were key for my job and I was feeling on top of my game. On the other hand, holding a baby, who was giving me unconditional love and trust, allowed me to be more vulnerable, more authentic, and therefore allowed me to connect better with people around me.

I realized that the traditional authoritative leadership model was dead to me. Yes, I could lead, yes I could manage people but with kindness and assertiveness.

I learned the importance of listening, delegating, and creating the best working environment for my team. I realized that I was being a “parent” to them, empowering them, giving them both freedom and responsibilities. They knew I was here to support them, guide them, and help them grow, while they clearly knew what I expected from them.

Being an asset to a company is not about being a robot and who will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s about bringing value to the company, delivering qualitative work in a timely manner, but also coming up with creative solutions, and especially when you’re working at a managerial level, being able to embark and inspire your team on a journey to success. Being a mother actually taught me to be a better employee.

We should tear down the prejudices about working mothers and working parents in general. We all have parents. Some of us are or will be parents. Some of us won’t and that’s ok.

Let’s live in a more tolerant environment and actually appreciate and celebrate the value that a parent can bring to the workplace. Let’s not disregard perfectly suitable candidates over concerns in their role as a mother.

Let’s employ more mothers.