6 Mom Skills that Benefit the Workplace
I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you’re just thinking, ‘This is impossible — oh, this is impossible.’ And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible. – Tina Fey
I love the mixing pot of people in any given workplace. Each person brings something unique to the table and shares that with the rest of the crew. It is like a family except there are applications processes, credentials, and background checks. Employers get to hand pick this working-hours-family, carefully assigning each role to the most ideal person in the application pool.
What qualifies a candidate for a specific position typically depends on applicable education and/or experience. But where do we draw the line with experience? What if we could include the random life experience gained through parenting- things we learn through ordinary tasks that benefit the collective in an extraordinary way? It would be like putting a cherry on top of the regular office flow.
Let’s be honest, moms are awesome in the workplace. They bring forth skills you don’t realize are needed but would be sorely missed if they were absent.
Here are 6 special skills that should be added to the resume of any mom:
1. Toilet Paper Roll Changer Extraordinaire – Moms always change the empty toilet paper roll out of routine (and because it is polite). This applies to the home, work, Target, etc. If the roll is empty, a mom will change it.
2. Keeper of the Paper Products – Spend a lunch break with a mom and you will get to share the massive stack of napkins she will grab for the whole table. Need Wet Ones for something sticky? Need a tissue? The mom has it all.
3. Proficient in Packing a Magic Bag of Tricks– Everything she could possibly need on-the-go is in a mom’s giant purse. Pens? Check. Sharpie? Check. Measuring tape? Check. Dental floss? Of course. Files? Yup. Paper clips, rubber bands, snacks, gum, extra pair of socks, hand sanitizer- check to all of the above.
4. Interpreting Moods – Moms have a pretty good sense of the moods surrounding her. This skill is developed and sharpened from experiencing a two-year-old’s mood switching from awesome to miserable in 5 seconds flat. A mom will dissect your feelings and learn your triggers.
5. The Human Thermometer – It is not secret that a mom’s hand moonlights as a thermometer. But here is a secret- if you ask her to feel your head she will advise you to go home. Your sickness is a domino effect- not just in the office, but in her home too. If the mom gets sick and misses work, then each of her children are bound to catch the illness, and she will have to miss more work.
6. Juggling Master, a.k.a. Multi-Tasking Maven – Moms are used to several different things going on at precisely the same moment. So, if you want someone who doesn’t bow out by saying, “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” but rather, “Yes, this is my circus and all my monkeys, and this how we roll,” then you should definitely consider adding a mom to your work team.
Moms work hard around the clock and have a lot to offer in the workplace. There is always a “mom” role to fill in a work family, and those employers who already have them on the payroll are reaping the benefits.
Will you occasionally spot a messy top bun on a sleep-deprived mom? Maybe. Will you sometimes hear unwanted stories about bodily fluids? Probably. Will you get someone who works with their brain and their heart, gives their very best, and bravely rises up to face any challenge? Definitely.
