Maintaining a work-life balance is huge for successful working moms. Whether you work from home or the office, it’s important to get your priorities straight. Ask yourself, what are some deal breakers when it comes to balancing your life as a mother and the amount of time you are willing to dedicate to work? Here are a few things to consider as you continue learning how to strengthen your career and your family.

Are There Clear Expectations?

To maintain a healthy work-life balance, your job needs to be clear, and straightforward about your requirements. With clear expectations, parents can better fulfill what their job expects of them, while also caring for their families. For working mothers, it’s challenging to have their job descriptions shifting constantly. This can create unnecessary chaos when trying to maintain a healthy family outside of work.

Flexibility

Having flexibility at work becomes extremely valuable once you are a mother. While you will always value your job, being a mother trumps everything. It’s no question of getting your priorities straight with this one. It’s about how accommodating and understanding your job is willing to be with you through the trials of motherhood.

Do Your Values Align?

This does not apply to everyone, but some new mothers might find their work values begin to clash with their family values. While this is not always a deal breaker for women, it can cause some stress in day-to-day life.

Benefits & Room for Growth

The benefits your job offers are undoubtedly important for both you and your future children. Maternity leave is another thing to look into if you are an expectant mother. Some jobs are more supportive of working mothers than others. While it would be ideal for all jobs to support working mothers, this is not always the case.

Leadership & Respect

Working moms often value strong supportive leadership at their workplace more than their income. This means leadership that is understanding of day-to-day motherly tasks as requirements that might hinder your ability to show up at work. Mothers prefer a personable leadership that shows respect for their lives outside of the office.

Whether you are a soon-to-be mother or are already a working mom, there are a lot of factors that influence your work-life balance. The demands of your job will directly impact your life as a mother, and vice versa. That is why it’s important to know what to expect from your job as you grow in your career as a working mom.