Time to give mothers working at home extra support

Now that most of us are working from home, it is not uncommon for toddlers, pets and spouses to make cameo appearances on work-related calls much to the amusement of colleagues.

Social media is awash with anecdotes of children ‘rudely’ interrupting their parents’ work Zoom calls to demand snacks when they feel mummy’s work call is taking too long.

It is the global challenge that has united most of us: how do we stay productive as we work from home while giving our loved ones the attention they deserve?

It is a lot to demand from most of us, but it is especially difficult for women. Have you ever stopped to wonder how women — especially those with families — are coping in this pandemic that requires them to work from home?

Two women, Sheryl Sandberg and Rachel Thomas, the co-founders of LeanIn.org, have described the current situation as working a ‘double double shift’ for women.

They say that even without the pandemic, women already do a lot of labour at home before they report to work, but with the pandemic, a huge bulk of the work, which includes homeschooling and taking care of relatives, falls on women, thus constituting the ‘double double shift’.

DOUBLE SHIFT

The internet is full of sad stories of the sacrifices women are making in order to stay productive while working from home.

With many people living with relatives, domestic helpers and families, it must not be lost on us that not all of us have the extra space to convert into a home office or a quiet corner where one can take a one-hour Zoom call in peace.

Women have had to move around furniture to accommodate not just themselves, but spouses and children who also need some extra working space.

In most cases, women, being the selfless beings they are, give the priority to their spouses and children, leaving some women literally with nowhere to work from.

There is a woman who was recently interviewed by the New York Times, who says she had to convert her bathroom into a small office because it is the only place she can ‘close the door and lock it’ to speak to her clients.

Well, from the pictures, you could argue that she has a relatively comfortable home with a large-enough bathroom to pop a chair in the corner and take a phone call, but we must not miss the point: women workers need more support during this pandemic.

Between homeschooling the children, cooking, cleaning, catering to spouses and relatives, responding to emails, writing reports and attending hours-long work calls, working mums around the world are feeling more exhausted during this pandemic than ever.

LESSEN WORKLOAD

It is no wonder one in four women have reported experiencing anxiety with physical symptoms like a racing heartbeat, according to a study conducted in April by LeanIn.org and Survey Monkey.

Organisations across the globe are bearing the economic brunt of the pandemic, causing them to cut costs, yet there couldn’t be a better time for employers to show leadership by supporting their employees, especially women with families, in every way they can.

Experts have advised employers to be more understanding of their women employees, particularly those with young families, by providing both emotional and financial support.

They have advised employers to do everything they can to avoid burnout among their female workforce.

In short, employers need to ‘cut these women some slack’ by understanding that try as they might, their female workers who are working mums are most likely not operating at their optimum levels — and it is no fault of their own.

Supporting women bogged down by family responsibilities in this pandemic might also mean being reasonable enough to give them some time off and even providing remote counselling services for those who feel overwhelmed.

Another important issue that employers might want to consider is that some of their female employees are living in unhealthy and toxic environments with physically and emotionally abusive partners and relatives.

GIFT MOTHERS

It is, therefore, important to constantly check on your female employees who might be sounding a little low during your weekly calls and encourage them to speak up.

Many organisations have suspended performance appraisals for the first and second quarter of the year, so it might be worthwhile to consider going a little easy on your working mothers during the next appraisals.

In a normal pandemic-free world, organisations go the extra mile to appreciate their female employees on Mother’s Day and International Women’s Day.

In the spirit of the recently concluded Mother’s Day, perhaps the biggest gift employers can give working mums is unwavering support during these unprecedented times.

The writer is the director of the Innovation Centre at Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications. The views expressed in this column are her own; [email protected]