How Working Remotely Helps Moms Keep Rockin’ Their Careers

If you had to choose between dominating the business world and becoming a mother, which would you pick?

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 78 percent of working mothers refused to make that decision; instead, they believe that they can succeed as both businesswomen and parents. However, many do admit that parenting has hurt their work and work has hurt their mother-child relationships.

Why should you care? Because juggling motherhood and work is becoming easier than ever thanks to a new occupational development: working remotely.

As Working Mother explains, an increasing amount of businesses are giving employees the option to work from their favorite armchair at home. While some jobs operate “virtually” part-time, other jobs are completely remote. In other words, no more rushing to work after dropping Tommy off at daycare and driving Susie to elementary school.

What are some other benefits to working remotely? Working Mother names several, including:

• Several studies have shown that “flexible workers” (AKA, those splitting time between the office and home or only working virtually) are more productive and report better work-life balance.
• You can still be a part of office culture – you just may have to work at it. Jessica Milesko exchanges “tours” of her home office and commonly Skypes with her co-workers and pencils a bi-monthly “team lunch” into her calendar.
• 44 percent of surveyed virtual working women spend the time they save not commuting to cook or prep healthy meals
• You can still win a promotion – just do like Jessica did and log your work and send a weekly “status report” on what you’ve achieved.

The bottom line is that a new mom shouldn’t – and, now, doesn’t – have to choose between her new baby and her budding career. While it can be difficult to set boundaries between your work and home life, not commuting can you save time and money while letting you achieve both your personal and professional dreams.

How to make sure you’ll succeed while working behind a computer screen? Just keep these tips in mind:

• Claim a space in the house as your office…and make sure it has a door that shuts.
• Create a clear schedule of when you’re mom and when you’re Ms. Working Wonder Woman and share it with your friends and family.
• Keep up with your fellow co-workers and participate in social events when you can.
• Even when you’re not in the office, act as dedicated and focused at home as you would in front of your boss

For years, women have been forced to choose between pregnancy and promotions. Now, we can make a different choice: whether to kick butt as a boss, as a mom or, if we want, both.