Supporting the Journey into Motherhood

I am lucky enough to be one of the multiple expecting moms at Workhuman. As I prepare to become a mother, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on many aspects of my life – my family, my friends, my house, and my job. Walking around the office, I am encouraged by the sight of quite a few “baby bellies” and new moms just coming back from leave. It is no coincidence that we needed to build out a second Wellness room for nursing mothers, because we had too many to accommodate with just one room. And as I considered all the support that Workhuman offers to working parents, I realized that my own journey into motherhood would have looked and felt SO different, had I stayed at any of my previous organizations.

I can genuinely say that I truly value every company I have worked for before Workhuman. They all have shaped me into the person and professional that I am today, and one way or another, they each led me here to the organization that I love. But thinking back to my time at each of these places, I can’t imagine myself having started a family there. So as I dive into this new chapter of my life, what makes Workhuman to special to me?

I’ll jump straight to what most of you are wondering about first – paid parental leave. At Workhuman, new moms are offered 12 weeks, and new dads 4 weeks of – wait for it – 100% paid time off. That’s right. You read that correctly. In a country where any amount of PAID leave is not legally required, I will get to spend 12 weeks at home with my baby girl, without having to worry about how I’m going to pay my bills. Those first few months are so critical for parents to heal and bond with their new tiny human, and I will be lucky enough to enjoy that without the stress of lost income. (And I use the word enjoy loosely – I’m aware that it’s no cakewalk to care for an infant). To top it all off – through our own Life Events product – my new “bundle of joy” will be featured on our company awards feed, where I will receive warm wishes of congratulations from my colleagues and friends from the office.

I also know that returning to work as a new mom will be no walk in the park. Here is where Workhuman shines yet again. As hard as it will be to leave my little one to return to the office, I will be welcomed back with open arms, and an understanding that I may be having a tough time. I don’t have to check my “mom hat” at the door and pretend that my heart is not aching to be away from my tiny human. I will return to work as the whole human I am and will be supported by my colleagues so I can continue to do my life’s best work. I will have access to the aforementioned Wellness rooms for private time to pump, if that is my choice. I will have support and encouragement from my peers in the ParentHuman employee resource group to ask me how I’m doing, and how they can help me adjust to this new reality. No one will question my need to come in late to bring my daughter to appointments (I’ve heard there are quite a few in the early days…) or if I have a hard stop to leave the office in the afternoons for daycare pickup. I will be respected as a professional, as a mom, and as a human to do what is best for my family which will in turn allow me to do my best work for my organization.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written to sing the praises of Workhuman, and I can promise you it won’t be my last. I am incredibly grateful to work for a place that supports and celebrates this new adventure in my life. Whether you are on a journey to parenthood, have already “been there, done that”, or have other personal aspirations and goals – Workhuman will celebrate you, ALL of you.