Why Moms Think Your Employment Brand is Weak...

I talk about being a mom sometimes (like transitional labor even), so if that bugs you, cover your ears. See, the thing is, I talk about moms because I am one and guess what? So is like over <insert your stat here> percent of the workforce. And people are talking about it. But not in the ways you might think.

I'm talking about those companies that boast that they're the best for moms and families. We've all seen  the brightly colored banners with a very perky new mom, holding alert and happy baby up for the world to see. But how do they really compare?

For most moms, it's a joke. All the lists that make the working mom mags, all the rankings don't come close to affecting the jobs they hold, so who cares?

If there were a labor pool that could potentially fill in the blank between "gimme my freedom" Gen X and the "ready to retire" boomers that we're facing in 5 years, I'd want to accommodate 'em. Particularly if they were:

1) educated
2) smart
3) great multi taskers
4) keeping their skills fresh in the meanwhile

So what gives? How come "working mothers" lists have become a PR commodity, rather than an employer branding tool.  Let's not forget that the "truth police Millennials" will catch us if we overpromise and under-deliver.

What can your company do?

- Prove it's a benefit. There is a big fat hole in our workforce. Find out how to make SAHMs (stay-at-home moms) and WAHMs (work-at-home moms) fill it and you're looking at a metric even the COO will like.

- Implement what they want. Among the top picks: part time hours, telecommuting options and a lactating room that's not a supply closet.

- Get serious about REAL value. Yes, it's so great if you provide on-site daycare, but is it any good? Moms talk, you know, especially when it comes to their kids. Are you charging an arm and a leg? Then it ain't a benefit. Re: the lactating room? If she can't get in without getting looked up and down by Larry the maintenance guy, it's not mom-friendly. K?

Take back the title. PR needs to hand over the keys to the "Best for the Working Mom" title. That release belongs to Recruiting and HR, period.  But taking it back means you own it. So get it off the pages of some glossy mag that most moms don't have TIME to read anyway, and into the hands of talent pros who will use it to create an actual pipeline.

Editor's Note - Maren Hogan is a millennial living the dream in Omaha, Nebraska.  When she's not plotting the downfall of Gen Xer's like me, she's doing marketing and development for an IT recruiting and outsourcing firm called HCI.  Maren's a mother of three based out of Omaha, where she writes by the light of a laptop once her house is finally....quiet...

Comments

[Caryn McCurry]

Hear! Hear! I second, third and fourth that post Maren.

As I launch Singularity, focused on getting moms back to work in a way that reflects REAL balance and reasonable expectations, I'm emphasizing the importance of women valuing themselves.

I believe when you really own your personal value and can communicate it confidently and without apology, you can yield the desired results of a less than insane life. As the mom of two, launching a new business, I'm living the same struggles and some days I'm not quite sure how I'm going to make it all happen but I continue to pull it off.

Part of what drives me is knowing I have good stuff to offer and that I'm entitled to be recognized as equal but different. Women bring a separate skill set to the table that are much needed and currently sought after. I'm seeing a window of opportunity here for women to step up and ask for what they need in their own unique way, without aggression, but calm confidence.

...And there's my little crack in the ceiling! :)

Warmly,

Caryn