Yesterday, in many countries around the world, we celebrated Mother’s Day—traditionally a holiday honoring motherhood that falls on the second Sunday of May. Celebrations of motherhood can be traced to the ancient Romans and Greeks. In 1908, Anna Jarvis created the American version of Mother’s Day and in 1914, it became an official U.S. holiday. Mothers are major contributors to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of their children, and it’s time to view hiring a mom as good for business. Mothers are our first teachers and many of our life skills were learned from them. These skills are often overlooked, and when you ignore the skills a mother brings to work with her every day, you are missing an opportunity to hire some of the best, most committed employees available.
Did you know that according to the US Department of Labor, women are vital to today’s workforce? There are currently 74.6 million women in the labor force. Almost 47 percent of U.S. workers are women and more than 39 percent work in occupations where women make up at least three-quarters of the workforce. In addition, women own close to 10 million businesses, accounting for $1.4 trillion in receipts.
Many of these women are mothers or serve in the role of mother. There is no training manual for becoming a Mom. Because of that, moms are some of the most creative, innovative, resourceful, and committed people you will ever find.
Let’s honor our mothers in the workplace every day by acknowledging their skills.
Moms are masters at getting stuff done.
If you need someone with strong organizational skills, attention to detail, creativity, and the ability to solve problems, you need a Mom. My mother managed to keep five children on track with school projects and extracurricular activities while working and managing a busy household. She was a ninja when it came to getting stuff done. Whenever someone needed help, my mother was the first person they asked and she delivered every time.
Moms are great project managers.
Moms are masters at project management. My mother could work miracles with no budget. She was a whiz at finding free and fun things to do for birthdays, summer vacations, and holidays. She kept her five children on task and as we got older, utilized our talents to help manage all the demands on her time.
Moms are flexible and can change directions with ease.
Switching gears is natural for a mom. They move from wiping baby puke from their clothes to making a costume for the school play to helping with that science project that was put off to the last minute. And, they do it all without whining and complaining and somehow make it look easy.
Moms can learn anything.
Most moms can learn new skill sets and move from novice to expert in record time.
Self-directed learning is simply what they do. There is no manual with step-by-step instructions on how to be a mother. It’s on-the-job training all the time. Mothers are skilled at finding what they need to know when they need to know it.
Moms are patient and excellent at conflict management.
Moms are skilled at answering questions over and over. Have you ever heard a toddler asking “why” fifty times? They can get a tantrum-throwing 5-year-old to stop and listen and then redirect their behavior in a way that makes life better for everyone.
As a recruiter, I look at thousands of resumes and this mom’s resume would make me take notice and jump on the phone to talk to her immediately. You would be foolish not to start hiring moms. I promise you will be glad you did.
If you need some insights to help you hire amazing moms, schedule your insight session today or call me, send an email, or text MOMENTUM to 480-418-1411 to get more in-depth, step-by-step recruiting help. And, the best part is that it’s FREE!