Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
My how things have changed! Used to be all you had to do for Mom on Mother’s Day was buy her some flowers and a nice card. Nowadays, things can be a bit more complicated, especially considering the fact that a large number of moms are also working professionals.
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TheLadders, an online “head-hunter” type service which focuses on “finding the right person for the right job since 2003” recently conducted a survey to find out what working moms desire most from their jobs.
The survey showed that job flexibility beat out extended maternity leave for working moms. As a working mom myself, I heartily agree with these smart women! Our kids need us even more as they are growing up than they do as small infants.
Over 250 women were interviewed who were, or were going to be working mothers and work in a variety of fields including, among others, education, medical/science, construction, real estate and law. They were asked to consider six “work situations” and list them by priority. The majority of women surveyed (44%) considered flexibility to be on top as opposed to only 5% who would choose longer maternity leave.
The other scenarios included:
"Since launching almost a decade ago, we have seen a growing desire for job seekers to work in – and return to – an environment that understands and supports their personal values," said Alex Douzet, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of TheLadders. "It is clear from our Mother's Day survey that working mothers are eager to return to the office when it is a comfortable and rewarding transition. Employer sensitivity for the unique needs of working mothers will help drive employee satisfaction and retention."
So what does this survey mean to you, as a real estate professional who has a busy office to run? Take it as you want, but I see the bottom line as this: When your employee, who is a working mom, gets a call from the school or the sitter saying that her kid is sick and she needs to come home right away, cut her some slack, even if it means you have to stay a bit late to finish up.
Better yet, if the kind of work she does for you allows for it, let her take some work home to finish up - that way she will not only be able to be at home with her sick child, but her guilt at having to leave in the middle of the workday will be alleviated some because she can make it up to you - and the team - at home.
The plus for you? You come out smelling like the best boss a gal could ever have and the work gets done! Win, win in my book!
Anita Cooper has been actively involved in the real estate – mortgage industry since 2010. Her weekly feature Market Watch covers a unique but pragmatic analysis of home buying and real estate trends in cities across the country including the best housing markets to purchase a home, average median home cost as well as real estate technology.
Her articles have appeared in the trade magazine “Real Estate Wealth,” as well as on various websites. Cooper owns and operates a small writing business providing website and copy-writing material to real-estate professionals. Enjoy her market analysis each Friday on Realty Biz News.
The cost of higher education is ridiculous, my son wanted to go to college but we could not afford so we choose the High Speed Universities for his education while working now he working for fortune 500