5/8/2012

What Do Working Moms Want for Mother’s Day? How About a Virtual Office?

NEW YORK—Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and in case you are wondering what to get the working mom in your life on this special day just take notice of a new survey from TheLadders.

According to the survey, a virtual office might be a good gift. That’s because working mothers care more about having flexible hours after returning to work than spending more time at home while on leave.

In fact, when asked to prioritize six "work situations" as a working mother, 44 percent chose flexibility as most important versus only 5 percent who said they would opt for longer maternity leave. A virtual office can provide that flexibility.

The survey also shows that working mothers ranked the ability to work from home (29%), convenient working hours (20%), and on-site day care (2%) as priorities. Again, a virtual office can help.

The female professionals surveyed are in the following industries: construction, education, engineering, finance, human resources, law, marketing, medical/science, operations, real estate, sales and technology. Although all of those industries don’t lend themselves to virtual offices, the administrative side does.

Finally, the survey confirms that balancing a career and a family is a huge struggle for 87 percent of respondents. Fifty-five percent admit that "excelling at both is overwhelming," 13 percent "struggled at first, but now it's under control," 16 percent "always put family first and work has suffered for it," and 3 percent "always put work first and family has suffered for it."

Virtual offices can help breed work-life balance for moms and dads alike. A virtual offices offers the ultimate in flexibility for moms at any stage of their work career—or their life.