I joined a woman-owned company after working at a business dominated by men, and now I'm treated so much better as a working mom

April 6, 2022

Megan Feldman Bettencourt working from her home office. PHOTO: Megan Feldman Bettencourt

When my daughter had COVID-19, my current employer's support came through thoughtful gestures as well as structural benefits.

The gist:

The current world of work, doesn’t work for women…or that is, the world of work that was designed by and for male workers, with a spouse at home taking on the childcare, etc. Which is why there was (and now still is very little) FMLA, refrigerators for breast milk or “flex time.” (And why the majority of those who left the workforce due to the pandemic were women, who had to prioritize child + home care.)

The Insider article author, Megan Feldman Bettencourt, had her own such moment of reckoning with said unworkability for women, after returning from maternity leave when:

I walked into a meeting that day where there was a male colleague I barely knew. He was shrugging off a coworker's jab about his frequent time away from the office. "Well," he said, shooting me a casual glance, "Megan just took a three-month vacation!" That's when I decided to find a job at a company led by women.

Now, at the women-owned communications and marketing firm Ground Floor Media, she and her colleagues benefit from:

• remote work and flexible schedules

• various levels of part-time employment

• and contractor positions for consultants. 

The benefit?

This flexibility is one reason that many employees have stayed with the company for well over a decade and some for more than 15 and 20 years. Many of the mothers I work with have been with the firm full-time, part-time, and as consultants during different phases of life.

And for Bettencourt personally, “the ability to work remotely saves hours of commuting and allows me to cook and pick up the kids in time for dinner.”

In addition she notes that, “Being able to work a reduced schedule — without losing opportunities to advance like most part-time workers do — has been key to getting through the past two years relatively unscathed. When my daughter was quarantined and then isolated, it was tough yet doable to meet my billable hours requirement. Doing so with a full-time workload wouldn't have been sustainable.”

She also appreciates how the Company prioritizes the health and wellness of the workers and helps wit work-life balance, with:

• unlimited time off

• quarterly mental health days

• and leadership coaching with a heavy emphasis on emotional IQ.

For me, the freedom to work in the ways that fit my life and with a team that supports me as a working parent make a world of difference in how I feel about work. Because the experience is positive, I'm more focused, productive, and feel empowered to be myself while I'm working.

She concludes that, “the pandemic and the Great Resignation have made clear what my managers have long understood: Supporting working parents and employees' general wellness is not only the right thing to do, but it's also good for business. “

Connect with the INSIDER post here.