By Vicki Abelson, ACC
TLG Senior Consultant – HealthcareI left my corporate job right before the pandemic started in March of 2020. It was a hard decision, as I loved my work and my team, but was excited to pursue a different opportunity.
My friends, coworkers, and fellow moms of small children all gasped and asked how I could leave the comfort of a secure job at a company I love for the unknown.
Fast forward two years later and some of these same friends, coworkers, and fellow moms are making the switch as well. They have learned that their work environments do not meet the needs of the ever-shifting demands of parenting during a pandemic. For some, they realized that they would rather earn less (work less, stress less) in order to gain more flexibility. Yet others are finally brave enough to pursue work that is meaningful to them.
For many women over the past two years, childcare has been a primary reason for leaving the workforce during what has become known as “The Great Resignation”. The pandemic has caused many working mothers to pivot in order to supervise online learning, take care of their young children, and even in some cases their elderly. While the need for flexibility has skyrocketed, even with remote work, many organizations have not been able to keep up.
In many of these cases, of course, this pivot is not by choice. Mothers are, after all, often the default parent (the one that gets the calls from school and brings the snacks to soccer). As such, it falls to them to make the tough call and either reduce their work (if possible) or exit the workforce in entirety.
Yet many others are making a pivot because they want to. They are tired of doing things the way they have always been done (at your desk, 9-5…or longer). They are pursuing work they love so that they can have lives they love.