The pandemic highlighted the importance of building healthy work environments that are generators of well-being in order that people have a more conscious work and, at the same time, can sustain their productivity. That is why it is absolutely necessary to put this issue on the agenda of organizations and re-design practices that operate in a culture that promotes the health of families, and therefore of workers.
Some suggestions to implement in organizations:
Impletar Womentoring. The purpose of womentroring strategies is to generate mentoring spaces for women who aspire to leadership positions. These programs have several benefits, on the one hand, they make visible the low rate of women in leadership roles and begin to build a more egalitarian culture at a cultural level. On the other hand, they provide women with tools to face the challenge of leading many times in contexts making family life compatible with work life. Additionally, it makes it possible to create a more empathetic and collaborative environment.
Hybrid work, by mutual agreement. Hybrid work is undoubtedly a double-edged sword depending on who sets the rules of the game. In particular, I agree that it should operate in organizations to build new contracts of expectations with families. The pandemic affects families, not only the person in their workplace, but also those who are fathers, mothers, or have a parenting role and live with simultaneous agendas. Generating an agreement of the days that will be worked in the office and those that will be from home (as long as the nature of the work allows it), will undoubtedly generate a relief to the family dynamics that will end up having an integral impact on the productivity capacity of the company. person. Let us remember that mothers must reconcile their work schedule with domestic and care activities, the double presence generates great psychological wear and tear and promoting spaces for autonomous work organization would operate as a relief.
The new maternity wards, an inclusive approach. It is becoming more and more common for me when giving a zoom training to see parents who are working while they are taking care of their baby or toddler. It would be unrealistic to think that the care of children today is only in the hands of mothers, the ways of being a family are multiple and diverse and each one will have a role to develop in upbringing. Organizations undoubtedly have to set up specific spaces and times for the new maternity wards to be taken into account in organizational policies. The extension of paternity leave is a clear example of this, in which it not only allows the father to enjoy the full stage with the arrival of his child, but this action allows to alleviate all the family dynamics.
Encourage co-responsibility: Understand that those people who share the role of parenting with mothers are not in a place of “collaboration” but rather implies a shared responsibility. From this place, as mentioned above, work environments should offer spaces for those who “raise” helping to build a culture of co-responsibility.
There is no one way to be a mother. Just as being a woman does not imply having the desire to be a mother, the place that each mother will assume before motherhood will be unique. That is why it is necessary not to romanticize or generalize the theme, but to approach the experience of each home and offer alternatives that fit each reality.
Undoubtedly the culture, the belief system that operates on the role of women in organizations and the biases on the fact that it involves childbearing can lead to a not deep reading of this aspect. We have been raised for decades where the role of the woman was associated with the place of care and the man associated with a virile place, of power both in private life and in organizations. Impacting and modifying stereotypes is absolutely complex, and therein lies the challenge. That is why I imagine more humane organizations that can host the different maternity wards from their policies, communications and actions, that can offer a broad and inclusive view of the issue and respect each position from personal choice. That will be the path of organizational evolution towards an environment of well-being and mental health.
Lic. Virginia Borrajo, Head of HR Talent at Estudio Locht. Author of the ebook “HrMakers: The practical guide to agility for Human Resources”, Editorial Temas. University Professor and UBA Psychologist.
