Did you negotiate your salary?

March 16, 2015

“We’ve all heard it before: By not negotiating, women sacrifice thousands of dollars by the end of their professional lives. Recent research has revealed, however, that the number is closer to half a million.”[1]

This quote comes from an article on the Glass Hammer which cites that 52% of male MBA graduates surveyed negotiate their salaries, compared with 12% of female MBA graduates. And when the researcher had people evaluate those negotiations (on video) the women were perceived as demanding, while the men were not.

Should you still negotiate your salary and risk being perceived as demanding? How? And what do you leave on the table if you don’t negotiate?

When should you tell your boss you're pregnant?

February 23, 2015

Congratulations! You’re pregnant!

For some people, it’s an easy road to get here. For some people, it’s a very complicated, hard road. However you’ve gotten here – congratulations!!

If you aren't self-employed, at some point you will have to tell your boss.

When you do this is dependent on how your pregnancy is going and what type of job situation you are in. How you do this is a reflection of your professionalism.

Fired from your Identity - via TCW

November 15, 2014

I have a post up on Today's Christian Woman today! Read below for the intro, then click on for the whole scoop!

Fired from your Identity

Last week a friend shared some bad news—she had been “let go.” She works hard and has solid credentials, but things just weren’t clicking at this job. Her bosses said her work products did not meet their expectations. Beyond that, though, they also said her personality wasn’t a great fit for the company. She’s really shaken up. Being let go is a nice way to say she was fired, and that hurts a lot more than being laid off along with a whole team or division.

What We Do and Who We Are

As professionals, we work hard at our jobs. As a Christian, I believe there is a reason why God gave us skills and opportunities to apply those skills at work. It’s easy enough to think those skills and opportunities are what God has called us to on this earth, and then confuse “what we do” with “who we are.”

We spend so much of our time at our jobs, it makes sense that those jobs would be a big part of who we are. And when that job is taken from us in a way that suggests we weren’t “good enough,” it’s no wonder a person would doubt their identity.

Depending on your personality, you may need to heal emotionally before you can heal practically.

What should we do? How do we respond?

Read the rest at Today's Christian Woman

What to Do Before You Get Pregnant (Working-Mom Series)

November 4, 2014

I’m beginning a Working-Mom Series for "new moms." It would seem there's no better way to start it off than with a post about What To Do Before You Get Pregnant.

November is an important month. Not only is it Movember, it also kicks off open-enrollment season at most companies/organizations. This is the one time each year that you can elect to change your benefits (without another life-event happening). One of the most important things you can do as a working-mom, even before you get pregnant, is to sign up for short-term disability insurance.*

Everyone will tell you that having a baby changes your life. You have no way of knowing how true that is until you are on the other side of it. Each family is different, so the baby will change your life in different ways, but one undeniable way that a baby will change your life is that it will require time. Lots and lots of time.

It is really hard to do anything else, particularly during the first few days/weeks/months. If you work outside the home, you’ll see there’s a conflict – you need time to work (because you like your job, you have a commitment, and your job pays the bills), and you need time to spend with your baby (because they need so much care). How do you figure that out?

How to Pump At Work

October 7, 2014

I was talking with a friend who is returning to work and she asked about pumping. Since I've recently started back to work after maternity leave myself, my memory was refreshed about how involved it is to pump. By the end of my first son's time breastfeeding, all of this was old-hat and not too complicated. So rest-assured that you will get the hang of it and it will become second nature. But there's a lot to get a handle on at first.

A few disclaimers:

1) Any way you slice it, feeding your baby is a lot of work. It requires a whole lot of time, patience, and energy. There are lots of ways to nourish your child. Whether your choose breastfeeding or formula or a mix of both is a decision based on your family's needs - your needs, your baby's needs, your family's schedule. Check out 30 Ways Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding are Exactly the Same.

2) I'm not a lactation consultant - get professional advice if you need it! Even if you don't need major help - try to go to a pumping class at your local breastfeeding center - you can learn so much from watching other women nurse or hearing about how they pump. A lot of what I share here are things I learned from other people!

For our family, breastfeeding works - it's a decision Andy and I made together (because it impacts all of us in how we spend our time and energy).

Exclusively breastfeeding means that you'll have to pump if you are going to be away from your baby for more than 2-3 hours, both to meet their demand, and to keep your supply up. If you are working outside the home, you'll have to pump at work. If it seems like that means you'll be pumping a lot - you will be!

latest thoughts

Fired from your Identity

What should we do? How do we respond?

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