As we have illustrated in our last two articles, Covid-19 has revolutionized the way we work and manage our workforce in ways nobody could imagine before, speeding up the evolution of our workforce strategy by years if not decades. Remote workforce and work from home arrangements are no longer a trendy culture adopted by up-and-coming technology start-ups, it’s now the new norm largely accepted by large and small corporations. And while the pandemic is destructive to most businesses and largely demoralising to most workers, the new norm that it has brought with it is silently welcomed and cheered on by a large group of unexpected beneficiaries – mothers.
For those who are full time working moms, the stigma of having to ask permission to work at home once or twice a week for motherhood duties has disappeared overnight. For those who are full time moms but talented in their own rights professionally, work from home arrangements have suddenly made the dream of a return to their professional life a possibility. The co-existence of professional and personal lives has removed the constant struggle of having to ‘choose’ between the office and home which often makes working professionals feel inadequate in both capacities as a parent and a worker.
What this means for organisations in the new era is that there is now no limitations to where they hire talent. Corporations have long been targeting young tech talent in India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Poland, but they should also tap into the large talented pool of women – who would otherwise have to sacrifice their jobs for their families – to fill their talent gaps.
In the United States, women earn more than 57% of undergraduate degrees and 59% of all master’s degrees. They hold almost 52% of all management and professional jobs – yet lag substantially behind men in representation in leadership positions.
This is not due to their lack of ability, but a reflection of the high percentage who had to ‘choose’ their families over their careers in their prime years. Recognising and tapping into this vast talent pool should now become an integral part of a company’s HR strategy.
At GoGlobal, where we enable organisations to hire anywhere, we’ve operated as a remote workplace from inception. ‘Work anywhere, anytime’ is our culture. We believe in hiring talented individuals regardless of their gender, location, background, or status. Our small workforce is spread across 17 countries, is mostly female (75%), and many of us are working mothers who highly value and appreciate flexible working arrangements. What we offer in terms of flexibility, trust and empowerment, we get in return: productivity, trustworthiness, and tenacity. We are living proof that borderless hiring and working from home arrangements are a successful ingredient to building a highly talented and motivated workforce.
Margaret Yip, Chief of Staff, Mother of 2 angels