Back in March, we commemorated National Women’s History Month by highlighting the contributions women have made to the success of Universal Metal Products (UMP). As a certified women-owned business, UMP is proud to play a prominent role in empowering women in an industry that men have traditionally dominated.
Although the country celebrated the official Mother’s Day holiday a few weeks ago, we would like to belatedly acknowledge the essential and challenging multiple roles that women play as workers, spouses, partners, and their responsibilities as mothers.
How do they juggle these responsibilities occurring inside and outside their homes? Can women achieve that elusive work/life balance that results in happiness and fulfillment on all fronts? We did some research, trying to discover what working moms do to make it work and what experts suggest doing to find the right balance. Here’s what we found:
Balance means different things to different moms
Most mothers understand that the definition of ‘balance’ changes with their circumstances. For example, when they are working on a large and important project, they might have to miss a few of their kids’ activities or ask a neighbor to pick the kids up from school. Conversely, when a young child is sick, they may need to switch to one-hundred-percent mom for a few days. The important thing is to find a balance that works best for them and resist the temptation to compare themselves to other moms.
Successful working moms prioritize self-care
When moms are working, driving their kids to activities, doing household chores, helping with homework, and reserving a little quality time for their spouse or partner, they often sacrifice the time it takes to care for themselves. As a result, they eventually suffer physically and mentally, straying from the path that leads to a happy life.
Exercising, meditating, getting enough sleep, visiting a nail salon, eating correctly, or scheduling a night out with the girls are all forms of self-care, equipping them to be excellent wives, employees, and mothers while being kind to themselves.
Separate work and home life as much as possible
This piece of advice is not easy to follow. Although most moms try to stay in the moment when they are with their families, they tend to be serious, even passionate, about their work, allowing it to follow them after working hours. Some moms counteract this by silencing their phones and ignoring emails and texts during designated times at home. Others draw a line between work and home by not working weekends. However you choose to handle it, don’t burden yourself with guilt about not working when you’re at home or about what you should be doing for your family when you’re working.
We appreciate all our employees, especially our working mothers
Happy belated Mother’s Day as you raise your families and carve out a niche for yourselves here at UMP. Rest assured, you are making a positive difference here and at home!
Universal Metal Products is a WBENC certified women-owned and operated business with over 75 years of experience. Call us at 440-943-3040 or fill out our convenient contact form if we can be of service to you.