How to manage careers and family together, according to experts

For these women, work is not just a way to live, it's an opportunity to learn and grow.

It's an exciting time for women in the workplace, but many of us still ask ourselves: How can my work help me achieve all my goals? Are there sources at work offering support?

Popular experts and authors give their advice on how women can receive support when considering the start of a family. Here's what they had to say.

I want to have children one day, even if not soon. I'm thinking about fertility treatments, but I have no idea where to start. Should I ask for instructions at work?

Depends. The decision to bring fertility treatments is entirely personal and depends on the environment of a woman's work, said Agnes Fischer, author of “Unscmbled: Bringing egg freezes, fertility and truth about your years of reproduction”.

Personally, she says, she will ask colleagues only for information about fertility treatments if she feels sure she was in an environment that would be acceptable to this kind of dialogue.

To assess whether your employer will be open to this, try to see the examples set by the biggest entrepreneurs. For example, Fischer recalled a seminar he held at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in 2017, where he spoke to hundreds of women about the fertility and freezing of eggs. At the heart of the conversation were two female directors in the company who openly discussed the subject in front of their colleagues.

When a [high female elite] talks about her personal experience with fertility, suddenly [the others] are like: Oh, that's a safe space. I can talk about it, “said Fischer.

But if you can't see clear examples of being placed up and down, you can try to control with human resources, suggests Valerie Martinelli, CEO of Valerie Martinelli Consulting. I'll go directly into and ask,” she said. “They must have [information] for you. If they don't, then get out of work and start learning more about it. ”

If and when a family begins, it may have to take more time for meetings. How can I talk to my manager about this and create realistic expectations about the potential impact on my work and my friends' work?

This may seem obvious, but carefully planning ahead and communicating with your team shows commitment to your work, which makes you look better and lift a huge burden from your manager.

Transparency also helps normalise the discussion about taking time for obligations and appointments involving parents, which may be helpful in promoting a culture that accepts and even welcomes this kind of time away from work.

“is an opportunity to start a conversation that should [have] about what happens when you're not there”, said Rachel Ellison, an organisational development consultant and executive coach who specialises in the balance of work and life for parents. “and to show your manager,” I want to make sure you're ready, the team is prepared and I'm prepared to go back happy “.

I'm a parent and I'm inspired by many of the mothers working in my office. I want to ask them how they balance everything, but I'm afraid to admit I'm fighting. Should I accept anyway?

Yeah. Stigma about how a challenging parenting can be especially with colleagues at work that might be why we think we struggle with it is a personal failure, Ellison said. Opening a dialogue can help reduce this stigma.

Plus, many companies have resources in the country to help parents get the support they need.

Even if your society does not have programs of mentoring or training, your parents should not feel that they should remain silent when it comes to family matters; being open about the subject can make it easier to overcome the feeling that you have problems by keeping up.