Working mothers in every field have faced a wide range of difficulties over the past year. Even while juggling work and family obligations was a challenge many attorney women before the epidemic, COVID-19 raised awareness of the struggles and problems many working mothers face. Additionally, it has given law firms the chance to pinpoint the difficulties parents have, especially when seeking practical advice for managing family finances, and offer helpful answers. Continue reading to learn practical suggestions for improving the workplace so that working mothers feel valued and supported.
- Maintain a supportive attitude throughout the entire company
Making them a priority is the first and most crucial action your company can take to support female attorneys who are mothers. Be transparent with your team about the company’s intention to support and encourage working mothers. Ask the working mothers at the company for their opinions on the effectiveness and value of the current policies and programmes. Accept their suggestions for areas that could use improvement and encourage candid feedback on what is and isn’t working.
Think about how your company could foster a culture that respects and celebrates life as a working parent. Simple leadership actions include designating events for children on their calendars and starting dialogues about their own experiences as working parents. They will show that it is OK and even encouraged to be both a parent and a lawyer by doing this.
- Review you policies regarding working from home
Due to the pandemic, many businesses revised or implemented new work-from-home policies in 2020. Although these policies undoubtedly represent a start in the right direction, some could argue that they are a little behind the curve. Parent attorneys have traditionally balanced their professional schedules with childcare responsibilities and kid-related activities. The epidemic made remote work choices for mothers even more necessary.
The truth is that mothers who practise law often have possibilities to work from home, whether or not there is a pandemic. When working from home is an option, life as a working parent can frequently be streamlined and made less stressful, from ill children and doctor appointments to family calendars. Your company should think about changing your policies to allow parents being able to work from home in the future as the business world develops into a new normal.
- Reduce stress by adjusting billable hour expectations
Every lawyer puts a high focus on billable hours. In this pandemic, mothers who practise law must balance the pressure to satisfy the billable hour requirements of their firm with the time needed to care for their families. Mothers may neglect their family or their own needs out of stress or fear of doing inadequately.
Businesses can help their working mothers by temporarily easing that burden and modifying expectations for billable hours. Lessening billable hour requirements would inspire lawyers to put their health first as the pandemic life continues.
- Support female attorneys who are mothers through mentorship programmes
Making a mentorship programme available is a crucial part of your firm’s assistance for female attorneys who are also parents. Mentoring may make a significant distinction between successful lawyers and those who find it difficult to advance their careers. Particularly for female attorneys, this is true, and quite useful when reaching out to licenced solicitors, like Ellisons Solicitors for instance.
A mentor who has travelled a similar professional path can be an invaluable resource for attorney parents. They can impart the knowledge and advice new mothers require in order to succeed. Mentors who provide guidance on juggling their workload with the adjustment to becoming new mothers are helpful to expectant mothers.
