Mother describes how her company's encouraging culture helped her navigate a tough situation

After becoming a mother, a woman's life changes 360 degrees. Their child becomes a priority and because of this, their professional life often takes a backseat often. But is this correct? The fact that women are brought to a place where they have to make a choice shows a flaw in society. The power to change this setup is with people who have authority, but more often than not, since they find the existing system to be beneficial to them, they do not alter it. Therefore, in the off-chance, women do find themselves in a situation where they are supported in a way any normal human being should be, they think of it as god-sent rather than conventional practice. Bonnie Dilber, who goes with @bonniedilber on TikTok, talks about an incident in her life where support from her company changed the whole game for her. 

Dilber shared her views on the way women are held back on the professional front because the built-in setup is so against them in the first place. She begins the video by saying that she loves her job. As someone with an apt knowledge of social media, she is very well aware that this is not the opinion held by most people regarding their work. But a recent incident made her very grateful that she is associated with this establishment. So much so that she declares, "I'm not gonna leave until they make me so." She loves the perks, like it being remote and asynchronous, but the aspect that she appreciates the most is that the ideals and environment of the company aim to enhance the experience of their employees, not make it more difficult.

The morning she made this video, her son fell ill. This is a recipe for disaster for every working mother. The child requires full attention while, at the same time, work and managers are knocking at the door. But because of her company's understanding culture, Dilber was able to come out of the precarious situation smoothly. She explains, "So 10:30 in the morning, I didn't have any meeting scheduled until noon. I didn't have to ask anyone. I did not have to let anyone know. I just drove over to the Target by my house and I'm getting my pickup order right now." No one is breathing down her neck and as long as she fulfills her commitment, no judgmental eyes are prying on her while taking care of her child.

As she was explaining this, it struck her how she was feeling grateful because this was not normal. Most companies would not provide these facilities. The realization broke her heart. She says, "It's actually wild to me that this is such a big, like, perk or benefit because this should just be standard." Showing understanding and providing a work-life balance should not be a privilege but a norm. But it becomes such a difficult question when it comes to women. The moment they become pregnant, companies want to throw challenges at them as if to test whether they can still be as productive. Rather than give them the tools to succeed, they choose to become a hindrance. Fortunately, Dilber finds herself in a situation where she is given the space to manage both her work and hang out with her sick child.

The woman recognizes her luck and knows that many others have not been allowed the same grace. She elucidates, "So many women do not progress professionally because either employers are worried that they're gonna miss too much work for stuff like this or the culture is not created so that they can balance both." Moreover, the patriarchal system in place always gives more preference to a man's job than a woman's, which causes the latter group to feel disgruntled both in the professional as well as personal space.

The comments section agreed with the mother's assertions. @jedwards8386 found herself in the same situation as Dilber and wrote, "My company’s attitude is 'as long as you get your work done, you’re good.' It is amazing." @nmstark2702 commented on how motherhood actually makes women better employees, "Funny part is you probably give twice as much and are super productive because of it!"