2020 was a difficult year for everyone, but especially for many working mothers who were challenged to take on the bulk of educating, cooking, cleaning and caretaking before, during and after their full-time paid jobs.

According to multiple surveys, even in best-case-scenarios where both the mother and father in a family worked remote, the moms were still twice as likely as the dads to be primarily responsible for housework and childcare. The result: many were unable to focus and perform at the same levels they had when they worked in-office, especially with the added stress of juggling homeschooling and childcare during Covid-19.

This led to missed promotions, and sometimes even women quitting their jobs or rethinking their careers.The Center for American Progress estimates that the COVID-19 crisis cost women around the world at least $800 billion in lost income in 2020.

Female labor force participation hit a 33-year low in 2021, according to NWLC analysis.

There were benefits to remote working, however, especially for those parents who before had spent hours each day commuting and had little time in the mornings or evenings to spend with their families. Now, moving forward, many say they want the best of both the in-office and remote worlds. From a recent FlexJobs survey, 37% of working parents surveyed said they would prefer a hybrid workplace, and 62% say they would quit their current job if they don’t have the ability to continue remote work in some capacity.

The Future is Hybrid

Gartner forecasts that long-term, around 30% of remote workers are expected to remain permanently at home, while 30% work one day a week remote and the other 40% work from home between one and four days a week. For working parents, especially those working moms remaining in or returning to the workforce, hybrid workplaces present at least five key benefits:

  1. Provides the ability to work remote or leave the office without guilt on days when children are sick or other unanticipated needs arise.
  2. Gives working parents the flexibility to schedule remote work/non-commute days around children’s early morning or evening school programs and extracurricular activities.
  3. Allows parents to be even more focused in the office and be their best selves in meetings with co-workers, managers and executives by reducing the stress and burnout around taking care of things at work and at home.
  4. Lends to a more equal and manageable distribution of household and childcare duties if parents select to work remote on different days.
  5. Gives working moms flexibility in their professional roles that they might otherwise be hesitant to request, and the option to apply for roles that they might otherwise pass up because of strict in-office requirements.

As working moms (and as all parents), we worry about giving time and our best to both our work and our kids. Hybrid workplaces will empower us to better manage the hybrid role of both employee and mommy or daddy.

Read these tips from Leslie O'Flahavan on balancing both roles while working remote.

See how 8x8 helps organizations create and optimize hybrid workplaces.