Why this is a critical time for working moms

This is Working Together, a weekly series on the changing face of U.S. business. These are uncertain times and we are all trying to work out what the coronavirus means for our lives and our careers. If there are topics you’d like us to discuss as a community related to coronavirus, let me know in the comments below or send me an email: [email protected]. Let’s dive right in. 

For 15 years, business designer Karen Gordon wasn’t honest about how having kids affected her career. She feared that if she spoke openly about the fact that she was a mom, her prospects at work would be limited. 

“Once I admitted the impact, I freed up a lot of new space for creative energy that helped my work and my parenting,” Gordon wrote on LinkedIn. “[It was a] win win for everyone.”

Whether they want to or not, millions of working parents will have to make a similar transition in the coming months. As schools across the country close to decrease the spread of the coronavirus, the work-childcare balance has become top-of-mind for many parents. And, depending on how managers respond, this will lead to one of two realities: Either working moms will suffer the fate that Gordon had feared for herself, or this could finally spell the end of the parenting stigma that many continue to experience. 

“It is no longer practical to expect undivided attention toward our work during the day, given kids are home from school, friends and loved ones may be in need physically or emotionally, and we ourselves our managing the stresses of the current situation,” LinkedIn chief business officer Dan Shapero wrote on the platform. “Leaders, please demonstrate to your teams that it's ok to step out of a meeting because a child needs help or because we want to respond to a text from our family. It's ok. Don't apologize. We're all trying to be productive while caring for ourselves and for those around us.”

Of course, not all working parents have the option to work from home right now. Those parents face an entirely different set of challenges. But for those who do have the option, their children are about to become an important — and highly visible — part of their work routines. In a recent survey, LinkedIn found that a majority of working moms don't feel comfortable talking about their kids at work out of fear they will be taken less seriously. Now, parents will not only have to talk about their kids but will have them on their laps during virtual meetings and making noise in the background on conference calls. 

“What I found amazing today during our team meeting of 90 percent men is that men were the first to bring up kids’ noises and the need to keep them occupied and entertained while working,” said Mother Honestly founder Blessing Adesiyan. “That immediately knocked my anxiety down a notch.” 

Companies are already responding to this reality by providing resources for working parents. Facebook, for example, is guaranteeing high performance reviews for all employees for the next six months, in part to level the playing field for workers who now have other responsibilities to balance. And Workday is giving its employees a one-time cash bonus equal to two weeks pay to help offset additional child care costs. 

But in hundreds of conversations on LinkedIn, it’s clear that the informal agreements that specific teams make at this time may be more critical than company-wide benefits or policies. Some workers are having morning team meetings to discuss any schedule gaps they need to plan for with everyone's kids at home. Others are having to renegotiate their hours to make room for childcare. 

“My husband and I have built a side-by-side learning and working schedule for this week so we can take shifts throughout the day where one person takes care of work items and the other leads a learning module/activity for our kiddos,” shared Marriott VP Janet Roller.

Mandatory quarantines across the country could also shape how dual-career couples manage household chores. Women take on an outsize share of domestic duties. With coronavirus only adding to those responsibilities, now is an opportunity for couples to reconsider their division of labor. 

“As this crisis rolls on, if women are the only ones stepping up when kids suddenly show up at home for weeks on end, how’s that going to reflect in your end of year review?,” Chairman Mom CEO and founder Sarah Lacy wrote on LinkedIn. “Suddenly that maternal bias you thought you extinguished when your kids hit school age is gonna flare right back up.” 

Like everything coronavirus-related, there is a lot that we don’t know. But one thing is certain: How business leaders and workers respond to this new reality will have a big impact on the careers of mothers when we come out the other side of this. 

What’s Working

Business Unusual. Are you a working parent figuring out these issues in real time? Join my colleague Susy Jackson at 12ET on a new live show we are testing — Business Unusual — to get insights from leaders on this topic, including the former Editor in Chief of Yahoo! Parenting, Lindsay Powers. [Join us here]

Helping in hard times. As we are all grappling through these challenging times, business leaders are stepping up by offering assistance. Just a couple examples I noticed: Author Roxane Gay offered to pay for the groceries of several people in need on Twitter. Many then followed her lead and made the same offer. Investor Mark Cuban offered free advice for small business owners during this time.

A new chapter for Hewson. Lockheed Martin CEO Marilyn Hewson is stepping down and will become executive chairman. She will be succeeded by a Lockheed Martin outsider, Jim Taiclet. Hewson was named Fortune’s Most Powerful Woman in Business. “I have worked full time since I was 16,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “So, when the transition is complete, I am looking forward to this new chapter of life. 

Who’s Pushing Us Forward

What topics do you want to discuss next week? Let me know in the comments below using #WorkingTogether