Welcome Back to Remote Work, New Moms

12/14/20 • 41 min

We’re delighted to have our colleague Erica back at work. She had her second kid in June and was on parental leave until December. She and her husband recently relocated to her parents’ house to get help caring for their 5-month-old and 3-year-old until a new nanny starts. Erica’s grateful for the support — and acutely aware that this transition is still going to test her stamina.

On Erica’s first day back, she talked to Amy Gallo about how she’d been preparing to return to work and what she hadn’t sorted out yet. Danna Greenberg, who co-wrote the book Maternal Optimism, joined the conversation, helping connect the dots between Erica’s experiences and the impossible situations forcing women out of the workforce during this crisis.

Guests:

Erica Truxler is a senior editor at Harvard Business Review.

Danna Greenberg is a professor of organizational behavior at Babson College and the co-author of the book Maternal Optimism: Forging Positive Paths through Work and Motherhood.

Resources:

HBR’s Big Idea series “Work, Parenting, and the Pandemic”
“Anxiety, Depression, and Working Moms in a Pandemic,” by The Anxious Achiever
“How to Return to Work After Taking Parental Leave,” by Rebecca Knight
“Ramp Up Your Career After Parental Leave,” by Lisa Quest
“New Mothers, Let’s Talk About Your Professional Identity Crisis,” by Janna Koretz
“The Upside of Working Motherhood,” from Women at Work

Guests:

Erica Truxler is a senior editor at Harvard Business Review.

Danna Greenberg is a professor of organizational behavior at Babson College and the co-author of the book Maternal Optimism: Forging Positive Paths through Work and Motherhood.

Resources:

HBR’s Big Idea series “Work, Parenting, and the Pandemic”
“Anxiety, Depression, and Working Moms in a Pandemic,” by The Anxious Achiever
“How to Return to Work After Taking Parental Leave,” by Rebecca Knight
“Ramp Up Your Career After Parental Leave,” by Lisa Quest
“New Mothers, Let’s Talk About Your Professional Identity Crisis,” by Janna Koretz
“The Upside of Working Motherhood,” from Women at Work

Previous Episode

When You Need Time Off for Health Reasons

When an acute or chronic health issue disrupts our work life, how do we let our bosses and coworkers know? How vulnerable should we be? And, as managers, how do we best support an employee who discloses a diagnosis? We talk with two women who’ve had to consider these questions while navigating illnesses, and they share advice on disclosing and discussing health issues with colleagues.

Guests:

Maureen Hoch is the editor of HBR.org and the supervising editor of Women at Work.

Laurie Edwards is a writer, a writing instructor at Northeastern University, and an advocate for people with chronic illnesses. Her books are Life Disrupted and In the Kingdom of the Sick.

Resources:

“What to Do When Your Employee Is Diagnosed with Cancer,” by Anne Sugar
“How to Welcome an Employee Back from Medical Leave,” by Anne Sugar
“Medical Leaves,” from Dear HBR:
“8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health,” by Kelly Greenwood and Natasha Krol
“Your Employee Tested Positive for Covid-19. What Do You Do?” by Alisa Cohn

Next Episode

We Answer Questions from Early Career Listeners

What should I do if I’m left out of important meetings? How do I balance assertiveness and persuasion? Should I talk to my boss about infertility? How do I set myself up now if I want to be CEO someday? We respond to questions from listeners early in their careers who are looking for advice on their workplace quandaries.

Our colleague Paige Cohen joins Amy Bernstein to share her experience and talk through answers to these questions. Paige is a senior editor at Ascend, a new vertical at HBR that helps young professionals find their place in the working world and realize their personal and career goals.

Guests:

Paige Cohen is a senior editor at Ascend, a sub-brand of Harvard Business Review.

Resources: