Paid Leave for Moms

After a trip to Illinois to visit family Labor Day weekend last month, my entire household tested positive for Covid-19. It has been a life changing experience on many levels. The mental, physical and financial effects are still lingering.

During this time, I worried quite a bit about my husband since he has asthma. I also worried about my two children, Malia (4) and Isaac (2). Well, I actually ended up having the worst symptoms of everyone. I had a case of pneumonia and went to the ER a couple of times.

Thankfully, everyone is fine now. I still have some coughing, trouble sleeping and a bit of brain fog though. The aftermath of COVID-19 is definitely real folks. Believe me, I know.

Income Loss

Since both my husband and I had to be off work for about 4 weeks, we each experienced a loss in income. Then add to the mix the fact we hadn’t been practicing the best financial habits. Needless to say, it’s been a bit stressful and overwhelming lately.

About a week ago, I saw a LinkedIn post by The Mom Project –a great resource for moms that I’ll be sharing in detail about in another post. My feelings of frustration for not having any form of paycheck protection due to family obligations and health matters were validated.

The pandemic has been devastating for so many families, especially those with working mothers. It’s time for companies to reconsider how their lack of paid leave benefits affects the workforce.

Women are crucial to the labor force and some companies may find many working mothers deciding to leave their current jobs for companies that are a bit more mom-friendly.

Working Mother has a list of the 100 Best Companies for women. These companies are said to offer family-friendly workplace cultures, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, women’s advancement, flexible scheduling and more. It’s refreshing to know companies that value working mothers exist.

A Mom Inspired

The positive side of my COVID-19 experience is it has motivated me to go harder at upskilling so I can grow in my tech skills. Let’s face it, increased tech skills = increased career opportunities. Check out the RISE scholarship program by The Mom Project to learn more about building your tech skills. This resource is amazing and life changing!

So how about you? Has COVID-19 or a lack of paid leave for whatever reason affected you personally or professionally as a mom recently? If so, how? Please comment and share below.

My experience with COVID-19 has also inspired me to grow my freelance career as a writer and editor. If you are in need of freelance writing/editing services or if you are interested in collaborating, check me out here.