Episode 07: Paid leave is the key to economic recovery.

Dec 20

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EPISODE GUEST: LAUREN SMITH BRODY, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR, THE FIFTH TRIMESTER

“Going into any negotiation as a working parent…it’s so important to remember that what you’re asking for is not just for you in your personal life, but you’re asking for essentially everyone,” explains Lauren Smith Brody, author of The Fifth Trimester. In today’s episode of Problem Performers, Lauren discusses the role of accessible childcare and paid family leave in our overall economic recovery during the pandemic.

Lauren is passionate about supporting mothers as they return to work after giving birth. Her book and consultation firm are focused on revolutionizing workplace cultures to support new moms, who face enormous challenges in the form of insufficient paid family medical leave and lack of affordable childcare. Lauren explains that women rarely have access to the resources necessary to simultaneously parent and maintain their careers, and these benefits are especially elusive for hourly wage workers and BIPOC parents. She tells listeners that it is crucial for business leaders to talk openly about their own balance between work and family, even the hard parts, to help normalize it for their teams.

Tune into this week’s episode of Problem Performers for a candid (and hilarious) chat between Lauren Smith Brody and Rebecca Weaver about the challenges of being a postpartum professional, and the importance of making paid family medical leave the national standard. Learn about what you can do to advocate for paid leave and support new moms in the workplace – which ultimately benefits everyone, parents or not.

QUOTES

“Some of the people who have made it to the top just do not feel comfortable being transparent about when they are doing things for their families, which is such an easy fix….Especially if they’re in leadership, when they are visible about the things that they’re doing to support their family life, that’s doing their job well. Because they’re actually helping retain people. They’re helping people see that there’s a path forward for them.” (13:41-14:10 | Lauren)
“We should all be in a ‘normal’ here, nationally and I would say even globally, that supports the rights of parents and caregivers to earn a paycheck while also caring for their families.” (22:44-22:54 | Lauren)
“Going into any negotiation as a parent who is trying to find a way of working that will let them keep working, it’s so important to remember that what you’re asking for is not just for you in your personal life, but you’re asking for essentially everyone. And so when say to you, ‘Well, I’d have to do it for everyone,’ the answer to that is, ‘That’s probably what’s needed to make progress here and for us to stay competitive.’” (24:28-24:53 | Lauren)
“Eighty-two percent of the existing childcare spots available in our country before the pandemic are available now. Simultaneously 50% of America is in what is classified by the government as a childcare desert. Which means that you’d have to drive a certain number of miles or that childcare is so out of bounds expensive compared to what the average income is that it’s inaccessible. And that is particularly true for people of color.” (25:56-26:32 | Lauren)
“It’s important for managers and HR to really understand that if the childcare industry’s recovery is going to be so much more delayed than every other industry, that those other industries don’t just get to keep on recovering.” (27:44-27:58 | Lauren)
“I want HR and business owners and leadership to listen to this message: there will be no economic recovery without childcare support. Period. There just will not.” (29:02-29:16 | Rebecca)
“Until we have (federally mandated paid leave), what we have is a K shaped economic recovery. At the top leg of the K, people who had access are going to keep moving up. At the bottom leg of the K, the people who didn’t have access are going to keep moving down. And those two end points of those two legs get further and further and further apart.” (37:19-37:36 | Lauren)
“Thirty-seven percent of people who are ‘voluntarily’…out of work right now, who could go back to work but are not…say that if they had access to paid family leave, they would come back into the workforce.” (39:30-39:50 | Lauren)
“Pay them better. Pay them a livable wage, so that they can pay for childcare or elder care to take care of the people they love. And if you can’t pay them, then you don’t have a viable business.” (40:43-40:55 | Lauren)
“You shouldn’t have to fix the problem that you’re in, but if you have one ounce of energy to do it, to speak up, to be a tiny bit more transparent than is comfortable for you, please do. Because there are a lot of people who don’t have the ability to do that who are counting on you.” (44:22-44:36 | Lauren)