April 21, 2026

Stop Making Parents Choose: A Smarter Way to Lead Work and Life

Stop Making Parents Choose: A Smarter Way to Lead Work and Life
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What if supporting new and working parents wasn’t a disruption to your business—but a strategic advantage? In today’s multi-generational workforce, leaders are being called to design workplaces where people don’t have to choose between meaningful careers and meaningful lives. Joined by Beth Wanner, discover how innovative models like Mother Cover, providing leave coverage, can protect performance, prevent burnout, and create cultures where work actually works—for everyone.

Working on Purpose is broadcast live Tuesdays at 6PM ET and Music on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). Working on Purpose is viewed on Talk 4 TV (www.talk4tv.com).

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WEBVTT

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The topics and opinions expressed in the following show are

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solely those of the hosts and their guests and not

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those of W FOURCY Radio. It's employees are affiliates. We

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make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services,

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Radio or its employees are affiliates. Any questions or comments

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should be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for

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choosing W FOURCY Radio.

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What's working on Purpose? Anyway? Each week we ponder the

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answer to this question. People ache for meaning and purpose

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at work, to contribute their talents passionately and know their

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lives really matter. They crave being part of an organization

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that inspires them and helps them grow into realizing their

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highest potential. Business can be such a force for good

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in the world, elevating humanity. In our program, we provide

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guidance and inspiration to help usher in this world we

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all want working on Purpose. Now here's your host, doctor

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Elise Cortes.

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Welcome back to the Working and Purpose Program, which has

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been brought to you with Passionate Prize since February of

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twenty fifteen. Thanks for tuning in this week. Great to

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have you. I'm doctor Releas Cortes, your host. Most leaders

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are sitting on untapped human energy and I help them

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unlock that. I'm an organizational psychologist, logotherapist, workforce advisor, and

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I am the chief ignition officer of the Gusto Now movement.

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But the title I'm much more, which.

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Is much more simple and describes me really easily as

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I traffic and energy.

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That's my jam.

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So not the service kind, not that surface kind of

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level motivation or another engagement sort of initiative, but the

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kind that really drives engagement and that deeper force what

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I call Gusto. It's the life force for performance that

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shows up and commitment, perseverance and genuine ownership of a

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shared admission in the clients we serve. You call learn

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more about us and how we can work together at

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Gusto dashnow dot com or visit my personal site at

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least Cortes dot com. Getting in today's program, we have

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this Beth Wanner. She's the founder and CEO of Mother

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Cover and Agency, offering interim and fractional coverage for parental

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and other forms of leave. After a very long time

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and rocky road of parenthood while building a high demand,

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high stress career as a marketing executive and tech space,

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Beth founded mother Cover to give individuals the ability to

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comfortably pause work when they need to, while providing companies

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with experienced support until their team members return. We'll be

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talking about their problems in family planning and parent parntal leave,

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the views an opportunity from both the employee and the company,

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and learning just really about what the opportunity and the

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promises of addressing this through her lens, she judged today

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from their prairies and mid Canada. Beth, welcome to its

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working on purpose.

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Hi, thanks so much for inviting me. It is so

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great to have you. When we connected on LinkedIn.

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You know, sometimes LinkedIn really does its magic right when

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it's really does. What its mission is is to connect

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professionals from around the world, and it did that for

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us and I did it for a post on. Once

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I found out what you were doing, I was like,

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you got to come on and talk about this. This

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is really really important. So welcome and thanks for coming on.

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Thank you.

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And I completely agree that there's a lot that social

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media doesn't help us with but LinkedIn has made some

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great connections and foster some good conversations.

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I think I agree, if only will just step into them.

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So I already gave a snippet of how mother Cover

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was born, but let's get a little bit more detail

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behind that, your personal story of how this came to be.

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I think it's always wonderful and my listeners and viewers.

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I've been doing this for eleven years, so many of

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them are really looking to try to find their purpose

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and how they can really serve from a way that

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really matters to them. And oftentimes it's our own personal

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experience like it was for you. So say more about

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where mother Cover came from.

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Yeah, well, I describe myself as an accidental entrepreneur because

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this wasn't at all the path that I thought I

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was going to be on. As you said in the intro,

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I spent fifteen years as a marketing executive in the

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tech space, and that's where I thought I was always

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going to be. All along my journey, I was thinking

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about when the right time is to start a family,

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especially in a demanding career, and I was luckily always

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on this upward trajectory. So I was getting promotions, I

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was getting more responsibility, and with each time that led

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to well, now was not the right time to start

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my family. But Skipboard eventually did decide to start my family,

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struggled with infertility and.

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IVF, so went through that whole whole journey. Kept that a.

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Secret from work because I was nervous about what sharing

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that I wanted to start my family would mean, and

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especially as I'm going through something really heavy and stressful

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in my personal life, I just didn't want to take

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the risk that that was going to put a target

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on my back that I'm not focused, or any other

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kind of perception that that might carry. But the way

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the world, I ended up finally getting pregnant, only to

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be laid off two days later, so that was not

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on my Bengo card, and then went on the job

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hunt as a pregnant woman, landed another VP of marketing job,

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told them I was pregnant, and I was hit with

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the worst reaction that you can possibly get. It was

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not hidden at all how upset they were, and it

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led to me getting.

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Fired at eight months pregnant.

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No of getting another job then, So that was, as

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you said in the intro my very rocky journey into

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finally becoming a mother.

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Well, and then you put the story in LinkedIn and

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the floodgates opened and people were like, yeah, I got

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a story like.

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That too, Yeah. And there was no intention behind it.

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I didn't have the idea for what mother cover would

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become at that point other than I was just so enraged.

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To put it lightly or not so lightly, but I

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was just very taken aback about how blatant the discrimination

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in my case was. And I shared that story on LinkedIn,

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and I said, the bloodgates opened. And I heard from

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hundreds of other women whether it was that same level

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of discrimination, or how many had experienced layoffs while pregnant

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amitororney leave or shortly after returning, or just feeling in

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general like parenthood and their career had collided. And since

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I was up at night now with a newborn, my

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wheels were spinning about why this was the case, Because

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even though I was always nervous about what starting a

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family was going to mean for my career, it was more,

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I would say, internal pressures that I was putting on

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myself of thinking how will I keep up with this

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demanding career? What will it look like to take any

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time away and be invisible during that time and then

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step back into it. I wasn't thinking of kind of

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all the external challenges that are still evidently very prevalent

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for a lot of parents.

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And you know what, the crazy thing about all of

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this whole thing underneath this whole conversation is, last time

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I checked, the only way that human race survives is

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that women keep having children.

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Yeah, I mean, do you want us not to have

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children so we just go extinct?

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I mean, it's so silly, right when you look at

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the root of this thing, like, well, what do you

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want us to do?

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Yeah, And there's lots of conversation about natural fertility rates

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and the birth rates and wanting to incentivize families to grow.

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But we're doing it, I would say, in a very

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backwards way, versus looking at the structures that actually make

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that possible and the fact that we live in an

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economy that necessitates two incomes for the most part. But

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then also a lot of women want to pursue a

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career and not have to choose between whether it's a

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career or their family.

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So you will notice if you were to look at

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look at my LinkedIn profile, that the first business that

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I really started exactly coincides with when my daughter was born.

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That was March she was born. I started in March

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of two thousand and three. The reason I did that

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is because I still wanted to participate in the workforce,

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but I didn't think the only way that I didn't

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think I could do it by getting a job someplace.

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Only the only way that I could I could think

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that I could do it because I wanted to stay

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in the workforce, but I need to do it on

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my terms was to be self employed.

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And that's how we started my business.

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And that seems to be a common story, especially now.

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I think there are stats out there about the number

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of new businesses that are started.

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Just last year by I by women was over fifty percent.

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Yeah, and we see the numbers that women are leaving

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the workforce in drugs because they can't they can't or

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don't want to try to manage what it takes to

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be a parent and also meet the demands of having

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a full time job, at least in the way that

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it's currently managed in most organizations today.

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Yeah.

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And we have headlines just last week or early this

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week about Deloitte and zoom, cutting, their printal leave benefits,

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their PTO.

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All of those things overwhelmingly affect women and caregivers.

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Yeah, so let's run. I like, I love, I'm an

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NPR NERD, So let's do the numbers. As they say

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on that show. I appreciate that on your website, and

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you have. Your website is beautiful, it's very clear, it's

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very compelling, it's very easy to understand what you're doing

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and who's winning. And I love your double mission, which

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we'll get to here in just a second. But you

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do talk about how coverage isn't a perk, it's really

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a business critical strategy, and.

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It really is if you think about this, right.

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You have people in your organization that are going to

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at some point probably want to bring a child into

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this world, so supporting.

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Them is important. So let's just let me start with

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the first stat and I have you comment on it.

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You have fifty two percent of parental leaves resultant team

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burnout when workloads are redistributed without proper support.

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Can you speak a bit more to that?

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Yeah, So that was a study an organization called Parentally

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did I Believe in twenty twenty four. Really, first one

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of the first studies looking at the impact not just

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of the parent going on leave, but the team left covering.

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So it's not just affecting the individual, but especially now

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as teams have gotten leaner than they've probably ever been.

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Everybody's operating at one hundred and fifteen percent. So even

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if it's a twelve week leave that people are stepping

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in for, that's causing a high degree of stress, of

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burnout and even turnover on the team, So we can

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talk about the turnover of the parent that goes on

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even there's the other stat that a third of women

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leave their rules within eighteen months of returning from a

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prental leaf, and not for the typical reasons that I

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think many have assumed in the past that women are

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choosing to leave.

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The workforce and stay at home. There's a fraction of

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them that do.

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Bet the majority already are actually leaving to go to

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other companies that offer more flexibility, or that they felt

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that they really had to start fresh somewhere new, rather

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than dig themselves out of the hole that their print

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to leave caused when there was an adequate coverage, so

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goals got missed or projects got derailed, or they're dealing

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with the resentment of their burned out colleagues who were

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covering for them.

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So in our work developing organizations with inspirational leadership and

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cultures of gusto, of course part of that process is

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to help coach up the leaders.

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To be able to perform at their best.

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And of course some of those people we've coached through

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their maternity leaves, etc. Their opaternity leaves, and they aren't

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dreadfully worried about what they're leaving behind on their team

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and how things will be run in their absence. I

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know in the next segment we're going to talk about

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the employee experience. But because they are so they're so

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committed to the organization and they wanted to go well,

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but they also know their tribution to the organization, so

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they know that when they step out of the organization

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there's going.

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To be pain in that process.

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And yet there none of them that I've never worked

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with over the years, has ever had this kind of

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support that you offer with your mother cover.

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Yeah, so maybe that's a good spot for me to

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explain what mother cover does.

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So the idea for mother Cover.

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Was when I was on on well, I'd say my

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maternity leave though I was not on a leave from

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any thing since I was let go, but my wheels

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were thinking about why it is still felt like such

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a disruption when somebody goes on leave.

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So if somebody in your organization comes and tells you.

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You're pregnant hope, or they're pregnant hopefully, you say congratulations,

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But then the door shuts and everybody goes.

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Oh, no, how do we handle this? Or worse yeah yes,

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or letter expletives yeah yes.

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But the idea for mother Cover came from there being

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this rise in individuals that are pursued contract infractional work,

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many of them parents themselves, so they don't necessarily have

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to be But how do we marry those types of

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individuals with companies that have upcoming leaves? Make it all

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that we do so that we're thinking of the pinch points,

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we're thinking of the transition. We're thinking about how the

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work actually gets covered itself, whether that's full time, whether

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that's fractionally, and what the re onboarding period looks like,

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so all those critical parts that are required when you're

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stepping in for somebody versus taking on a vacancy or

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project work, and how to make this feel seamless, so

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that the parent does not feel like they're bringing forward

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a burden to their team. The manager isn't covering for

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that oh no moment while trying to just be happy

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for their valuable team member, but also not put the

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work on the rest of the team as well. So

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really trying to create this seamless experience. So, like I said,

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just feels like normal workforce.

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Brilliant.

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So one of the other things that I have to

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situate as both a social scientist and a workforce advisor

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is what's so evident for me is when we don't

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support parental leave, and a lot of that, of course

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really is maternity leave. It's also increasingly more paternity, which

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is great. What happens is now organizations are missing the

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known contribution that women and women leaders especially bring to organizations.

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If so we get to a place where you don't

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support this and so your organization is predominantly comprised of men,

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that's a very different outcome instead of results. And when

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you have that nice mixture of men and women. So

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thinking about really the fallout of what you're getting in

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terms of the diversity of your workforce, the combined intelligence

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of your workforce, combined contribution of your workforce, and you're

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really not supporting that parental leave.

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And it hurts men too. We have more and more

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men who want to take print to leave themselves too.

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They want to be partners in raising their children. They

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want to be present there too. And the more men

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that we have taking print leave, the more career opportunities

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we have for women. So it hurts your entire workforce

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when we don't support and acknowledge the real life things

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that happen outside of work, and whether it's print to

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leave or caregiving as we have aging parents, mental health leave,

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medical leave, say, we all have things that matter to

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us that require flexibility, care and support. But the way

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that we've approached the model is that it doesn't have

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to be out of charity, as we want you to

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do the right thing for the humans on your team,

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but you don't have to sacrifice the performance of your

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company at the same time, and we just have to

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think of a different way of covering Network Beautiful.

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I'm going to comment more on what you just said there.

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Bed.

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Let's take our first break of your host, Doctor Really Courts.

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We are on the air with Beth Warner at the

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founder and CEO of Mother Cover and agency offering interim

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and fractional coverage for parential and other forms of lead.

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We've been talking about their problem of parents in the

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workplace and how to support them. After the break, we're

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going to talk more specifically about the employee experience and

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what that means in terms of having coverage for their

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leave and being supported as parents.

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Will be right back.

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Doctor Elise Cortez is a management consultant specializing in meaning

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and purpose. An inspirational speaker and author, she helps companies

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visioneer for a greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose

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inspired leadership and meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance,

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00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:57.840
and commitment within the workforce. To learn more, or to

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invite at least to speak to your organization, please visit

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00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:04.039
her at elisecortes dot com. Let's talk about how to

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get your employees working on purpose. This is working on

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Purpose with doctor Elise Cortes. To reach our program today

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or to open a conversation with Elise, send an email

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to Elise A Lisee at eliscortes dot com. Now back

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00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:26.119
to working on Purpose.

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Thanks for jaining with us, and welcome back to working

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on purpose.

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I'm your host, doctor Elise Cortes as I am dedicated

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to helping create a world where organizations thrive because there

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are people thrive. They're led by inspirational leaders that help

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them help their people find and contribute their greatness, and

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we do busines set better.

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For the world.

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I keep researching and writing my own books. So one

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of my latest came out called The Great Revitalization, How

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activating a meaning and purpose can radically and liven your business.

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And I wrote it to help educate leaders as to

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today's discerning workforce. What do they want and need to

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give you their best and want to stick around? And

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that I provide you twenty two best practices that you

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can use to equip your organization through your culture and

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your leadership to provide that for them. You can find

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my books on Amazon and on my personal site at

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leastcore test dot com if you are just now joining us.

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My guest is Beth Wanner. She's the founder of mother.

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Cover, whose mission is Twofold for companies to protect performance,

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prevent burnout, and ensure continuity for employees to save our careers,

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reputations and a smooth return after leave. Brilliant by the

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way love that. That's just very, very, very direct and intense.

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I love it.

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So what I wanted to comment on it as we

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were speaking about before we went on break, is this

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notion of when you think about today.

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The best companies today, the ones.

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That are really winning, the ones that have literally a

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seventy to eighty percent employee engagement rate instead of the

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US AT rate which is thirty percent, or the global

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rate of twenty percent. They are supporting their workforce as

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full humans, people that have full lives in the way

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of recognizing that they recognize that there are things beyond.

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What they do for them at work.

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They have this other full life, and they want them

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to be able to realize.

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The full potential of what they can become in life.

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And you can't do that if you ratchet them down

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into very very strict schedules or prevent or don't support

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them for these key life transitions and the things that

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really make life worth living.

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Yeah, and we think of the way that the workforce

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or working model was built is so outdated, especially when

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we start thinking about the impacts that AI is going

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to have. How we measure performance is based on time

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and seat and it's based on quantity of outputs, and

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that doesn't work for parents, and the best employees, the

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best teammates that I've had have been working parents who

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know the value of their time. They know how to prioritize,

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and they know how how to get stuff done. And

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we're seeing productivity be the most important way of measuring

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we're just measuring it in such.

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A like I sa an outdated way.

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So listeners and viewers, what she's talking about is the

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difference between the old school way of managing by presidenteeism.

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Can I see you here physically? Therefore, I believe you're

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working versus managing by productivity.

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The actual output of what they produce.

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Much more reliable, much more, much more qualitative for you

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and quantitative for you definitely. So speaking of numbers, back

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on the quantitative here. One of the other very interesting

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stats on your website is that sixty eight percent of

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parents worry about career setbacks, that anxiety that can affect

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performance and engagement even before the leave begins. And so,

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you know, when that goes back to what we were

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talking about before, that choice of should I become a

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parent or just you know, will that hurt my career?

402
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Do I have to choose between those two. I sort

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of did choose between those too.

404
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Yeah, and I actually feel that that stat is probably

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very low. I have not spoken to a single woman

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or parent who have not who has not felt anxiety

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around starting their family or sharing the news at work

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that they're or pregnant, or how much of that burden

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that they're taking on, that sharing that news means something

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negative for my company or my team members who are

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now going to take on some of my work.

412
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Yeah, I just I think I and you know you

413
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talked about just how much you tried to hide your

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pregnancy until you know, you just couldn't, couldn't any more.

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You were terrified that it was coming out, and such

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what a what an awful thing. I know, when I

417
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was pregnant, I told everybody, you know, I shout at

418
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it for a little push.

419
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You could tell.

420
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I gain fifty six pounds, so you could tell. But

421
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I know I didn't have that. I was also at

422
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that time, I was finishing my PhD. And I was

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working in a you know, more of a part time

424
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contracts support role in recruiting A long time ago, so

425
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it was a different time for me.

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I knew that I could get to the of the contract.

427
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If I was working in a full time job, that

428
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would be totally different.

429
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Yeah, when I was going through infertility and IBF treatments,

430
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I distinctly remember answering slack messages from a procedure table.

431
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I remember getting devastating news at one moment and then

432
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going down to the coffee shop in my clinic and

433
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hopping on a zoom call as if nothing had happened.

434
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In that being the first time where I was almost

435
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nervous for myself of like, it's a weird switch to

436
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be able to flip almost like you're living too parallel lives.

437
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But that's how strongly I felt, I need to overperform.

438
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I need to make sure that I'm not showing any cracks,

439
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because any cracks will will then make somebody either confirm

440
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biases or stereotypes in their minds that she's not focused,

441
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she's not dedicated, she's changing her priorities, and can't hold

442
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two things to be true. So that was all weighing

443
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on my mind while it was going through this. At

444
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the same time, m H.

445
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I have had people tell me over the years, women especially,

446
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I don't think I've heard from men yet that they

447
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were actually during their interview, they were asked, you you

448
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plan on having a family.

449
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Yes.

450
00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:30.519
Actually, my first interview at a tech company, I was

451
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newly engaged and my mother gave me the advice rewarding

452
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to not wear my engagement ring.

453
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And at the time I just couldn't understand why she.

454
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Was giving me that advice and thought, again, that's quite outdated.

455
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But now as I've seen how biases are still showing up,

456
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how discrimination is still showing up in our workplace, that's

457
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not afar out there.

458
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Warning to give somebody, you know, and I can appreciate

459
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if when I look at you know, let's just look,

460
00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:02.240
let's just you know, look at the other side of

461
00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:07.880
that perspective. I've heard several men over the years say, well, gosh,

462
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you know, then we have to pay for their leave,

463
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and we you know, then we have to have to

464
00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:14.640
have to and I it's a both there's a business

465
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problem there, right, and I understand that part. So speak

466
00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:19.759
a little bit if you could, to that bit of

467
00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:24.799
it of you know, what's behind this concern when people

468
00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:26.599
say that when they ask us kind of questions are

469
00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:27.480
you planning and having a.

470
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Family, It's really about seeing it as this destruction. So yes,

471
00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:32.920
there's a.

472
00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:36.000
Cost to it, but I'm going to invest and train

473
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and bring this person on board, and they're just going

474
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to leave. And then there's that feeling that they're not

475
00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:45.440
actually going to come back, where I highlighted that yes,

476
00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:48.240
a third don't come back, but not for the reasons

477
00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:52.440
that we think. If they feel supported, if we've been

478
00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:56.119
able to meet them where they're at and support the

479
00:24:56.119 --> 00:24:59.920
type of work that makes parents good employees, they do

480
00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.799
come back, and they come back fiercely and loyal and

481
00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:04.920
highly motivated.

482
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:07.400
Unfortunately, because we know that that support.

483
00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:10.440
Is so rare, so when it's given to a parent,

484
00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:13.160
you'll get that back in space.

485
00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:16.640
And space absolutely absolutely over the many years, there's a

486
00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:18.680
couple of people that I have just that they just

487
00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:22.039
kind of hung on to me well after the client

488
00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:24.440
engagement was done and they asked me to continue to

489
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:25.519
coach them.

490
00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:28.880
And there are two women in particular that I've been.

491
00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:32.400
Coaching up for nine years and I've watched both of

492
00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:36.200
them have families, and I've watched both of them just

493
00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:38.720
soar in their careers within one company. They're both them

494
00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:41.519
with the same company, and this whole time, very dedicated

495
00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:45.000
to this organization. One of them, especially, and I know

496
00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:49.720
this is very common, is feels that she's been penalized

497
00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.960
and overlooked for promotion.

498
00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:57.880
Against her non leave peers. You can get it.

499
00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:03.720
Yes, I guess several examples almost weekly. So the types

500
00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:06.480
of individuals that typically reach out to us that want

501
00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:10.720
to join what we call those who step into leaves,

502
00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:13.720
we call leave partners. So they joined our roster as

503
00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:17.319
lead partners, but they often come to us with reasons

504
00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:20.480
for wanting to join. Above and beyond the skills and

505
00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:23.319
experience that they bring, it's that they really resonate with

506
00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:26.400
our missions. So they've typically had not a great leave

507
00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:28.759
experience themselves, and they want to provide better to those

508
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:30.759
who come after them or their their career has been

509
00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:33.799
impacted in one way or another, so they share those

510
00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:34.680
stories with us.

511
00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:36.079
So I hear that frequently.

512
00:26:36.680 --> 00:26:39.000
Just the other week, I had a woman telling me

513
00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:42.119
about how as soon as she shared that she was pregnant,

514
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.279
she felt a shift of decisions.

515
00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:47.240
She was left out of meetings.

516
00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:50.400
She was no longer invited to, and even people openly saying, well, she's.

517
00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:53.000
Not going to be here for that, so why we

518
00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:53.559
include her?

519
00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:56.400
We should start acting as if she's not here already,

520
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:01.799
so that hurts our careers are our visibility has already reduced,

521
00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:06.759
our voice is already reduced. We had another that was

522
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:11.480
furloughed on maternity leave and the reason that they gave

523
00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:15.640
her was because she hadn't been here. Well, she hadn't

524
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:19.079
been here because she was on leave, So that doesn't

525
00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:23.440
doesn't make any sense. And then we get stories that

526
00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:29.720
with their their Sarah Williams who wrote Careless People, she

527
00:27:29.880 --> 00:27:34.839
was an executive at Facebook. She talked about the discrimination

528
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:39.680
and all the things that she faced where she got

529
00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:43.440
a performance review when she returned from printal leave out

530
00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:46.839
from maternity to leave, saying that she wasn't responsive enough

531
00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:49.920
while she was on printal leave. So we kind of

532
00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:54.200
have all these bars that get raised for women of

533
00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:59.480
almost almost that self fulfilling prophecy of we expect them

534
00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:05.920
to be not as engaged, not as motivated, and we

535
00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:10.200
make decisions ahead of that almost almost a feeling like

536
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:13.440
we're protecting ourselves, protecting our business from them saying that

537
00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:16.759
they're not going to want to take on that promotion,

538
00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:18.759
not going to want to do that travel before we

539
00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:22.240
actually talk to them and see how parenthood has probably

540
00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:26.799
changed them to feel more connected to things that are

541
00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:28.640
worth their time that they want to pursue.

542
00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:30.519
And then there's the.

543
00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:33.480
Whole notion of what we learn as parents that makes

544
00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:37.839
us frankly more effective managers and leaders too. Right, there's

545
00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:41.200
no way to duplicate that experience of what it gets

546
00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:43.279
to bring somebody else into the world and take care

547
00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:44.119
of them.

548
00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:48.880
Yeah, there's no better multitasker than a parent, So there's

549
00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:54.640
no better prioritizer. It's not that our ambition has diminished,

550
00:28:54.839 --> 00:28:58.759
it's potentially that it's shifted. So everything that we're looking

551
00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:01.200
at is through the lens of this worth time away

552
00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:03.920
from my family and the things that matter most to

553
00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:07.079
me in the world. And that's not a bad thing.

554
00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:11.160
That's a great characteristic in an employee. You want somebody

555
00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:13.759
that's going to look at to do list of ten

556
00:29:13.799 --> 00:29:15.519
things and tell you to the three things that are

557
00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:17.400
the most important that are actually going to move the

558
00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:22.519
needle versus that busy work. And we talk about time

559
00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:26.960
constraints because they parents typically do have more time constraints.

560
00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:31.039
That actually makes them focused and want to deliver more

561
00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:35.000
within that constraint versus having an endless amount of time

562
00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:36.839
to work on into the evenings.

563
00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:39.480
I did not understand time until I have my daughter,

564
00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:43.680
did not understand time until then. Right, Okay, So we

565
00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:49.039
really created quite a story of visual of what it's

566
00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:52.000
like from the employee experience. Anything else that we've missed

567
00:29:52.039 --> 00:29:55.160
out on tell our listeners and viewers understand the employee

568
00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:57.640
experience of trying to be a parent in today's workforce.

569
00:29:58.440 --> 00:30:01.599
I think the other is so we've talked about the

570
00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:06.759
experience when there isn't proper coveragent and the burden of

571
00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:09.640
putting the work on their team members, and then the

572
00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:13.599
potential burnout that comes from that. There are organizations that

573
00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:17.039
do bring in in backfields or other countries that do

574
00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:21.279
have longer leaves, but there's a way that that can

575
00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:25.519
be fumbled as well too, particularly if the person coming

576
00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.599
in is actually looking for a permanent job. So that

577
00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:31.559
can feel like a threat to the person going on

578
00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:35.119
the bus. This person actually going to replace me? What

579
00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:37.559
does this look like? It can also be a headache

580
00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:41.519
for the HR or the people manager if that person

581
00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:43.839
is actually looking for a full time job. Do they

582
00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:49.359
leave before the contract is ended? Did we try to

583
00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:51.960
save budget and we went to junior and we bring

584
00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:56.160
in somebody that actually causes more headaches for the team

585
00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:58.680
and kind of pick up the work quickly enough, because

586
00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:01.160
if if it's twelve, you don't have a month to

587
00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:05.119
spend ramping somebody up. So getting that coverage right is

588
00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:08.920
critical from so many different angles, the person going on

589
00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:11.680
the team and the people manager.

590
00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:14.640
Really that appreciate it.

591
00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:17.880
Admire how well you thought through this service offering and

592
00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:18.960
the model to support it.

593
00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:19.680
I think it's brilliant.

594
00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:22.200
As somebody who started her career in human capital space

595
00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:25.319
in recruiting and then of course had moved over the

596
00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:28.759
years through employee development and leadership development, etc. Now of

597
00:31:28.759 --> 00:31:34.119
course leadership transformation, etc. I just really appreciate the thoughtfulness

598
00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:37.039
of your offering and how you really it's that there's

599
00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:39.039
a seamless integration.

600
00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:41.480
Here that I think is really smart. Thank you, Yeah,

601
00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:42.079
you're welcome.

602
00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.839
Let's grab our last break here while you think about

603
00:31:44.839 --> 00:31:47.680
what it's like to be if you are an aspiring parent,

604
00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:50.000
a current parent, or you know others who are think

605
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:50.359
about that.

606
00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:52.680
Will be going on our last break. I'm your host,

607
00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:53.839
doctor Relie Cortes.

608
00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:55.720
We've been on the air with Beth Wanner. She's the

609
00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:59.240
founder and CEO of mother cover and agency offering interim

610
00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:02.119
in fractional coverge for parential and other forms of leave.

611
00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:05.599
We've been talking in this segment about the employee experience

612
00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:09.119
of trying to be a parent into these times. After

613
00:32:09.119 --> 00:32:11.240
the rak, we're we're going to get into what the

614
00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:14.559
pain points are for companies supporting parents and what the

615
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:15.680
benefit is when they do.

616
00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:16.720
We'll be right back.

617
00:32:32.720 --> 00:32:36.279
Doctor Elise Cortez is a management consultant specializing in meaning

618
00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:40.119
and purpose. An inspirational speaker and author, she helps companies

619
00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:44.000
visioneer for greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose inspired

620
00:32:44.119 --> 00:32:48.079
leadership and meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance, and

621
00:32:48.119 --> 00:32:51.359
commitment within the workforce. To learn more, or to invite

622
00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:54.119
at least to speak to your organization, please visit her

623
00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:57.440
at elisecortes dot com. Let's talk about how to get

624
00:32:57.480 --> 00:33:06.240
your employees working on purpose. This is working on Purpose

625
00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:09.599
with doctor Elise Cortes. To reach our program today or

626
00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:12.440
to open a conversation with Elise, send an email to

627
00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:18.000
Alise A Lisee at elisecortes dot com. Now back to

628
00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:19.279
working on Purpose.

629
00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:26.319
Welcome back to Working on Purpose and your host Doctor E.

630
00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:27.039
Release Cortes.

631
00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:29.279
As you know by now, this program is dedicated to

632
00:33:29.319 --> 00:33:30.799
empowering and inspiring.

633
00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:32.519
You along your journey to realize more of your potential.

634
00:33:32.599 --> 00:33:35.079
And I mentioned my last book, The Great Ribalization, came

635
00:33:35.079 --> 00:33:36.880
out with the twenty two best practices to help you

636
00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:40.319
elevate the culture of your organization for today's discerning workforce.

637
00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:42.799
What I did for you is I created a simple

638
00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:45.400
three page assessment that you can pull off my website.

639
00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:48.000
It's free and it will help you understand the extent

640
00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:50.680
to which your organization is needing those discerning needs.

641
00:33:50.680 --> 00:33:52.400
It's at gustodeshnow dot.

642
00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:54.039
Com and you can find it on the home page

643
00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:56.319
or any other page as well if you are just

644
00:33:56.359 --> 00:33:58.279
now joining us. My guest is Beth Warner. She's the

645
00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:01.480
founder of a mother cover Who's new is twofold. First

646
00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:05.960
for companies to protect performance, to prevent burnout and ensure continuity,

647
00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:10.840
for employees, to safeguarded careers, reputations, and sneeth returned after leave.

648
00:34:11.840 --> 00:34:15.519
So let's talk next about the experience of the employers.

649
00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:18.360
And so certainly we need to recognize that the trip

650
00:34:18.440 --> 00:34:21.880
of the matter is the companies feel that pressure when

651
00:34:21.920 --> 00:34:24.840
someone goes on leave and today especially more more time

652
00:34:24.840 --> 00:34:26.559
than I can ever know that I've ever experienced in

653
00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:30.920
my life. Every single human really matters today. They need

654
00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:31.719
that performance.

655
00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:33.760
Yeah, absolutely, And this.

656
00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:37.559
Was part of as I said, when I was coming

657
00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:40.599
up with the idea for mother Cover, and what was

658
00:34:40.679 --> 00:34:43.599
keeping me up at night was putting myself back in

659
00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:46.880
my shoes as a former executive and thinking through the

660
00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:52.079
supportive companies that I had worked at, and even those

661
00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:54.840
feeling like when somebody shared that they were pregnant, that

662
00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:58.960
was that oh no moment, and feeling that myself as

663
00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:02.519
a leader when people would share that on my team.

664
00:35:02.679 --> 00:35:06.519
So I knew that a solution that would support parents

665
00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:09.880
actually had to start with the company and thinking and

666
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:13.920
acknowledging that their real logistical challenge is when a key

667
00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:16.320
member of your team goes on leave, and if we

668
00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:20.000
don't solve for those, we can't actually help the parents

669
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:22.760
and help them feel like their their roles and their

670
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:26.239
careers are secure. Until it feels, like I said, like

671
00:35:26.360 --> 00:35:29.159
just a seamless process. Somebody comes and tells you you're pregnant,

672
00:35:29.480 --> 00:35:32.079
you say congratulations, and that's the end of the sentence.

673
00:35:32.599 --> 00:35:33.440
It's I've got you.

674
00:35:33.920 --> 00:35:37.760
And now we bring in a leave partner for you

675
00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:41.079
that works with the team, covers that work, and we

676
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:43.679
don't have to decide between are we going to support

677
00:35:43.960 --> 00:35:46.679
our human being or are we going to pursue the

678
00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:49.280
goals and objectives that we've laid out.

679
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:52.159
M but we've already hinted at this.

680
00:35:52.280 --> 00:35:55.079
But just you know, in today's organizations, there's no slack

681
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:57.960
and lean teams either, So every single human counts. We've

682
00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:01.400
been saying that, but I think especially and you think

683
00:36:01.440 --> 00:36:04.639
about the burnout today is just overwhelming.

684
00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:07.000
People leaving in droves because of the burnout.

685
00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:10.039
There's so much going on with the uncertainty and all

686
00:36:10.119 --> 00:36:15.239
of the technology transformation and the running hard after that transformation,

687
00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:18.639
and so now we have that also in this world.

688
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:23.960
Yeah, so it's it's not a small issue, and it's

689
00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:29.079
unfortunately it's harder to quantify or doesn't show up as

690
00:36:29.159 --> 00:36:33.440
neatly on your P and L as it does to

691
00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:37.119
invest in coverage for an employer the costs for doing

692
00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:40.880
paid leave, but I assure you the numbers are there,

693
00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:44.880
and they are staggering. When you think of replacing a

694
00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:47.960
burnt out employer or employee who didn't feel supported on

695
00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:51.079
leave can cost up to two hundred percent of that

696
00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:54.960
person's salary. And then if you start kind of mapping

697
00:36:55.079 --> 00:36:59.000
out how many leaves that you have within your company

698
00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:01.320
depending on the size of your company, but also all

699
00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:04.599
the individuals that touch that role. So, as we talked about,

700
00:37:04.599 --> 00:37:07.039
it's not just the individual going on leave, but when

701
00:37:07.079 --> 00:37:10.079
you burn out the team that's covering that work. Even

702
00:37:10.599 --> 00:37:14.119
even a three month leave really leads to that burnout,

703
00:37:14.239 --> 00:37:17.320
that resentment and feeling like I'm not supported as a

704
00:37:17.320 --> 00:37:18.119
whole human being.

705
00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:21.559
Well, and then that leads me to something else that

706
00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:23.840
I thought was very sobering on your website when it

707
00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:26.880
came to stats and numbers and what you're offering here.

708
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:29.679
When you situate that a lead is generally twelve weeks,

709
00:37:29.760 --> 00:37:30.519
well that's a quarter.

710
00:37:30.880 --> 00:37:34.199
And many organizations, as you point out, you know, they

711
00:37:34.239 --> 00:37:36.239
are run by the quarter, they produced by the quarter,

712
00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:37.079
they report.

713
00:37:37.079 --> 00:37:37.639
By the quarter.

714
00:37:37.679 --> 00:37:41.519
This is an important time period we're talking about here. Yeah,

715
00:37:41.679 --> 00:37:42.159
it's not.

716
00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:47.320
An unmeaningful amount of time these days, when everything is

717
00:37:47.400 --> 00:37:49.199
measured in quarters.

718
00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:51.880
You fumble a quarter that's hard to come back from

719
00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:52.639
in the years.

720
00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:56.239
So, depending on the type of role that's going on leave,

721
00:37:56.639 --> 00:37:58.880
if it's a customer facing role if it's a revenue

722
00:37:58.920 --> 00:38:03.559
generating role, but even roles that support those types of roles,

723
00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:06.400
So it doesn't always mean that you have.

724
00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:07.880
To cover that role full time.

725
00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:11.239
That's where we talk about fractional being really beneficial of

726
00:38:11.320 --> 00:38:14.199
even just creating some breathing room on the team to

727
00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:18.679
cover critical functions. So that's where we'll meet with clients,

728
00:38:18.840 --> 00:38:21.920
will consult on how.

729
00:38:21.840 --> 00:38:24.239
Best to approach covering that role.

730
00:38:24.360 --> 00:38:26.599
It can be up to full time that maybe it's

731
00:38:27.119 --> 00:38:29.039
thirty hours a week, maybe it's twenty hours a week,

732
00:38:29.079 --> 00:38:32.639
maybe even down to fifteen depending on again, what that

733
00:38:32.719 --> 00:38:35.039
specific role is. There doesn't have to be a one

734
00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:38.320
size fits all, but it just it has to be

735
00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:41.400
critically looked at. What is the work that needs to

736
00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:45.000
be done, who can take on pieces of it? About

737
00:38:45.280 --> 00:38:47.199
how do we do so in a way that's thoughtful

738
00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:49.440
to the person on lead, that's thoughtful to the team.

739
00:38:49.960 --> 00:38:55.159
And I said, doesn't result in missing goals and performance

740
00:38:55.280 --> 00:39:01.920
because we're all talking about optimizing for outcomes, optimizing for.

741
00:39:04.360 --> 00:39:05.199
What's the word that I.

742
00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:08.960
Missed my other word that I was looking for there,

743
00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:11.920
but basically that we're all very outcomes driven right now,

744
00:39:11.960 --> 00:39:16.199
and the bars are getting higher and higher or for

745
00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:20.559
that performance, we can't have a fumbled order m h.

746
00:39:21.199 --> 00:39:23.440
Well, and then for those longer leaves right that you

747
00:39:23.480 --> 00:39:25.519
mentioned this too is you know what if they're if

748
00:39:25.519 --> 00:39:29.360
they're off for six months or so or may even

749
00:39:29.719 --> 00:39:32.639
the world can't sit vacant and you can't bring in

750
00:39:32.679 --> 00:39:35.280
the wrong backfill or the wrong contractor which can cause

751
00:39:35.320 --> 00:39:36.320
confusion or churn.

752
00:39:36.920 --> 00:39:38.800
So that's really critical.

753
00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:41.400
So having having really a good strategy and a good

754
00:39:41.480 --> 00:39:43.719
resource to be able to help someone who's taking out

755
00:39:43.760 --> 00:39:44.280
longer leave.

756
00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:47.599
Yeah, and that's it's a great problem to see where

757
00:39:47.639 --> 00:39:50.159
we see leaves getting longer and longer. And then we

758
00:39:50.199 --> 00:39:52.880
can look to other countries. We can look to Canada,

759
00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:55.880
we can look to Europe to see that. Like it

760
00:39:55.920 --> 00:40:00.559
is very common in almost all instances to bring inn backfill.

761
00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:03.599
When you're talking about now leaves that are upwards of

762
00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:06.719
a year, you have to bring in a person for

763
00:40:06.800 --> 00:40:09.000
that role. You can't have it set vacant. But it

764
00:40:09.079 --> 00:40:11.679
still needs to be done thoughtfully. It still needs to

765
00:40:11.679 --> 00:40:14.159
be in a way that I said doesn't threaten the

766
00:40:14.239 --> 00:40:18.840
parent and not having it necessarily be full time as

767
00:40:18.840 --> 00:40:21.559
well too, still gives opportunities for others who maybe want

768
00:40:21.559 --> 00:40:25.360
to step up within the organization, but again not doing

769
00:40:25.360 --> 00:40:28.280
it in a way that stretches somebody who's too junior.

770
00:40:28.800 --> 00:40:32.480
Or burns them out. So one of the things that

771
00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:33.639
is really.

772
00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:37.079
Obvious to me because of the work that we do

773
00:40:37.159 --> 00:40:40.519
helping to really develop what we call destination workplaces. These

774
00:40:40.519 --> 00:40:44.440
are organizations where people they have a reputation of word

775
00:40:44.480 --> 00:40:47.760
on the street for leaving their purpose, for improving their communities,

776
00:40:47.800 --> 00:40:50.320
for growing their employees, for caring about their employees, and

777
00:40:50.360 --> 00:40:54.320
serving all of their stakeholders. And there I've had many

778
00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:56.559
people in my podcast over the years who represent those

779
00:40:56.599 --> 00:40:59.199
kinds of companies. They are amazing and they outperform all

780
00:40:59.239 --> 00:41:02.199
their other peers. So one of the things that is

781
00:41:02.599 --> 00:41:04.800
stirring up for me is we talk about this whole

782
00:41:04.840 --> 00:41:09.199
concept of parental coverage, parental leave and covering. That is,

783
00:41:09.599 --> 00:41:12.840
when you do that really well, you really foster the

784
00:41:12.880 --> 00:41:15.599
notion of trust and trust is the currency of results.

785
00:41:16.639 --> 00:41:19.280
And so if you know somebody, if a parent is

786
00:41:19.280 --> 00:41:21.280
on leave, it doesn't really trust that they have a

787
00:41:21.320 --> 00:41:23.079
place to come back to, that you have their back,

788
00:41:23.119 --> 00:41:25.920
that you're going to support them. You know, they don't

789
00:41:25.920 --> 00:41:28.320
trust how they're going to leave when they go off

790
00:41:28.360 --> 00:41:31.000
on parental leave and when they come back, they don't

791
00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:33.119
know how to trust. And now you've lost such a

792
00:41:33.159 --> 00:41:34.920
critical component of performance.

793
00:41:36.039 --> 00:41:42.679
Yeah, and how much that trust is that leads to productivity,

794
00:41:42.800 --> 00:41:47.239
leads to getting the best out of your workforce. And again,

795
00:41:47.280 --> 00:41:50.639
it's not just the individual that takes leave themselves, even

796
00:41:50.679 --> 00:41:53.800
if only five percent of your workforce takes leave.

797
00:41:54.559 --> 00:41:56.280
Everybody within your company.

798
00:41:57.480 --> 00:42:00.760
We see this in and the types of questions that

799
00:42:00.800 --> 00:42:03.480
people are asking in the interview stage that they might

800
00:42:03.559 --> 00:42:06.199
be asking about your print to leave policies even if

801
00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:08.400
they don't intend to take print to leave themselves. Because

802
00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:12.159
we're really seeing this as a marker of what culture

803
00:42:12.599 --> 00:42:16.440
in practice looks like. And it's a good way to

804
00:42:17.079 --> 00:42:20.400
judge a company when everybody says the same kind of

805
00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:24.599
things on their websites, the same value statements. Seeing how

806
00:42:25.320 --> 00:42:30.559
printal leave is supported, how caregiving leave is supported, really,

807
00:42:30.599 --> 00:42:35.960
like I said, shows policy and action puts that into

808
00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:37.360
real practice.

809
00:42:37.880 --> 00:42:40.000
Just a note on that that is really important for

810
00:42:40.079 --> 00:42:42.599
me that I've that I've been following. Several pop will

811
00:42:42.599 --> 00:42:46.280
come back on the podcast talking about one return to

812
00:42:46.360 --> 00:42:52.679
office mandate which completely don't serve caregivers anybody that has

813
00:42:52.719 --> 00:42:55.719
to get a child to and from school in a day,

814
00:42:56.639 --> 00:42:59.960
that whole that that that very rigid time frame whatever

815
00:43:00.079 --> 00:43:02.920
might be eight to five, or there isn't that flexibility

816
00:43:02.960 --> 00:43:05.159
to bring a loved one in for their hospital care

817
00:43:05.480 --> 00:43:09.199
or healthcare or whatever. You really shut off so much

818
00:43:09.199 --> 00:43:11.480
of the population who wants to work, who needs to

819
00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:14.400
work and is happy to work for you, but needs

820
00:43:14.440 --> 00:43:16.760
some support to do so more a little bit more

821
00:43:16.760 --> 00:43:17.440
on their terms.

822
00:43:18.280 --> 00:43:21.239
Yeah, it goes back to what we were talking about

823
00:43:21.480 --> 00:43:26.960
earlier about presenteeism and measuring the wrong things. And I

824
00:43:27.039 --> 00:43:32.079
do believe that there is value to in person connection,

825
00:43:32.280 --> 00:43:35.280
but it doesn't have to be a force five days

826
00:43:35.559 --> 00:43:39.079
a week just to be working alongside somebody even probably

827
00:43:39.199 --> 00:43:43.719
still on Zoom or team meetings when you've got dispurse

828
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:47.039
teams around the country or around the globe. Bringing people

829
00:43:47.079 --> 00:43:51.440
together thoughtfully is way more important than those mandates, and

830
00:43:51.519 --> 00:43:55.239
those mandates, as you said, disproportionately hurt women and caregivers.

831
00:43:56.920 --> 00:43:58.760
So just to try to be a little bit more

832
00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:02.079
complete here or what else have we not talked about

833
00:44:02.119 --> 00:44:04.719
in terms of the employer pain when it comes to

834
00:44:05.599 --> 00:44:09.480
supporting or you know, when, when when when parental parntal

835
00:44:09.519 --> 00:44:11.840
leaf is necessary, or caregiving is necessary.

836
00:44:11.840 --> 00:44:13.800
What else does a pain What other pain points are

837
00:44:13.800 --> 00:44:14.599
there for companies?

838
00:44:15.400 --> 00:44:18.559
I think the pain points that we hear from companies

839
00:44:18.599 --> 00:44:22.559
who maybe have tried bringing in a contractor or backfill

840
00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:26.239
before is that they go about it the same way

841
00:44:26.480 --> 00:44:30.000
that they maybe hire a permanent employee. So they put

842
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:31.960
together a job description, they post it, and they go

843
00:44:32.039 --> 00:44:36.239
through their full recruitment cycle, and then they bring on

844
00:44:36.480 --> 00:44:38.840
somebody like I said, that might be just at that

845
00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:42.320
level or junior, and it takes them too long to

846
00:44:42.360 --> 00:44:46.400
be able to ramp up and provide value. And that

847
00:44:46.599 --> 00:44:50.440
isn't actually taking away the burdens or the challenges for

848
00:44:50.639 --> 00:44:53.119
the team. They're just now shifted to and now I've

849
00:44:53.119 --> 00:44:54.960
got to train and onboard somebody.

850
00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:56.920
I've got to teach them x y Z.

851
00:44:57.800 --> 00:45:00.480
That's why we tell clients that you we really want

852
00:45:00.519 --> 00:45:05.239
to over hire for parental leave. So everybody on our

853
00:45:05.599 --> 00:45:08.039
lead partner roster has to have at least ten plus

854
00:45:08.159 --> 00:45:10.679
years of experience. I think we average closer to fifteen,

855
00:45:11.239 --> 00:45:14.920
even if the role itself doesn't require that much seniority.

856
00:45:15.280 --> 00:45:18.039
And this is again where we're fractional versus full time.

857
00:45:18.119 --> 00:45:21.519
Can be helpful of if you can't necessarily afford that

858
00:45:21.559 --> 00:45:25.480
more senior person full time. Here's what fractional looks like.

859
00:45:25.559 --> 00:45:29.159
But you want somebody who knows how to integrate with

860
00:45:29.280 --> 00:45:31.920
the team, get the lay of the land quickly, and

861
00:45:32.039 --> 00:45:35.920
get to impact in a matter of days, not weeks

862
00:45:36.400 --> 00:45:39.880
or months because you don't have that much runway. So

863
00:45:40.599 --> 00:45:44.320
working with either an agency like Mother cover that this

864
00:45:44.400 --> 00:45:48.039
is all that we do, or individuals who are very

865
00:45:48.079 --> 00:45:52.119
experienced at introm type work that can get that lay

866
00:45:52.119 --> 00:45:54.840
of the land. So going to junior does not save

867
00:45:54.920 --> 00:45:57.000
you the budget that you think that it does. You'll

868
00:45:57.039 --> 00:46:00.000
just pay for it in other ways.

869
00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:02.320
And then let's just anything else.

870
00:46:02.360 --> 00:46:05.079
In terms of how organizations win when they do this, well,

871
00:46:05.079 --> 00:46:06.000
we haven't already covered.

872
00:46:07.800 --> 00:46:12.119
We just see phenomenal feedback from both sides of the

873
00:46:12.800 --> 00:46:17.360
parents who felt like We had one mother say that

874
00:46:17.400 --> 00:46:20.079
she just was taken aback. It was not a request

875
00:46:20.119 --> 00:46:25.280
that she of her manager to backfill her role, but

876
00:46:25.360 --> 00:46:28.119
when she found out that we were contracted in coming

877
00:46:28.159 --> 00:46:31.039
in to support her, she's just felt like, Wow, they

878
00:46:31.079 --> 00:46:34.000
actually really value me as a human being, but they

879
00:46:34.039 --> 00:46:36.119
also value the work that I'm doing. They see that

880
00:46:36.199 --> 00:46:41.559
this is too important to pause or disperse amongst others.

881
00:46:41.639 --> 00:46:43.760
So that was a really great feeling.

882
00:46:43.800 --> 00:46:47.119
And then the company on their side as well too

883
00:46:47.159 --> 00:46:50.800
felt how have we not been doing this all all along?

884
00:46:50.920 --> 00:46:53.320
So our goal really is to make it feel that

885
00:46:54.119 --> 00:46:57.559
seamless and supported for all the stakeholders are involved, a

886
00:46:57.599 --> 00:47:00.119
great experience for the lead partner that's stepping in, a

887
00:47:00.119 --> 00:47:03.599
great experience for the parent and a great experience for

888
00:47:03.960 --> 00:47:08.960
the team members. So this feels like that triple win

889
00:47:09.079 --> 00:47:09.760
all the way along.

890
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:12.440
Sounds good to me, And I think I remember that

891
00:47:12.519 --> 00:47:15.760
you serve Canada and the United States? Is that right? Yes?

892
00:47:15.800 --> 00:47:16.000
We do?

893
00:47:16.239 --> 00:47:18.800
Okay, great, Okay, So we're coming to a close here

894
00:47:18.840 --> 00:47:20.480
about that goes by so fast and you know that

895
00:47:20.480 --> 00:47:22.480
the show, So just know why people are by people

896
00:47:22.519 --> 00:47:23.599
around the world who.

897
00:47:23.599 --> 00:47:26.360
Are interested in developing themselves as better leaders.

898
00:47:26.440 --> 00:47:29.360
They want to become in steward better organizations, and they

899
00:47:29.400 --> 00:47:30.880
just really want to improve themselves.

900
00:47:31.079 --> 00:47:32.360
What would you like to leave them with.

901
00:47:33.840 --> 00:47:37.519
I would like to leave them with maybe challenging some

902
00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:42.320
of their preconceived notions of what parental lead might mean

903
00:47:42.440 --> 00:47:46.800
for their teams and check their own biases off.

904
00:47:47.000 --> 00:47:47.800
If somebody has.

905
00:47:47.679 --> 00:47:50.719
Come to on your team and let to know that

906
00:47:50.760 --> 00:47:54.320
they're they're pregnant and taking leave. What was your true

907
00:47:54.360 --> 00:47:58.559
emotions that maybe you didn't articulate that we're kind of

908
00:47:58.639 --> 00:48:03.360
running through the back of your mind, And how can

909
00:48:04.239 --> 00:48:07.960
we address those feelings so that you really can just

910
00:48:08.039 --> 00:48:11.000
say congratulations and truly mean it and not have those

911
00:48:11.039 --> 00:48:12.880
things going in the back of your mind, because those

912
00:48:12.920 --> 00:48:17.199
are the things consciously and unconsciously that do lead to

913
00:48:17.719 --> 00:48:21.639
bias and then in the worst form discrimination, even for

914
00:48:22.199 --> 00:48:23.760
well intentioned leaders.

915
00:48:23.840 --> 00:48:26.960
So if you're not sure where to start, and you're

916
00:48:26.960 --> 00:48:27.840
not sure why you're.

917
00:48:27.719 --> 00:48:30.039
Kind of feeling those things, look at the logistics, look

918
00:48:30.079 --> 00:48:33.559
at ways that we can be more proactive in supporting

919
00:48:34.280 --> 00:48:35.280
our team members.

920
00:48:36.199 --> 00:48:38.119
So, Beth, I want to thank you for a couple

921
00:48:38.159 --> 00:48:41.760
of things. I want to thank you for serving the

922
00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:42.360
world in a.

923
00:48:42.360 --> 00:48:44.760
Way that betters the world through your company, and I

924
00:48:44.800 --> 00:48:47.039
love that you're doing it with what we call gusto.

925
00:48:47.239 --> 00:48:48.800
So thank you for both of those things, and thank

926
00:48:48.840 --> 00:48:50.400
you for coming on working on purpose to.

927
00:48:50.320 --> 00:48:54.159
Talk about it. Thanks for the impact. Most welcome listeners

928
00:48:54.199 --> 00:48:54.679
and viewers.

929
00:48:54.679 --> 00:48:56.840
You are going to want to know more about Beth Wanner,

930
00:48:56.960 --> 00:48:59.280
the work that she and her team do at mother Cover.

931
00:48:59.840 --> 00:49:04.840
You can start by visiting their website. It's Mothercoveragency dot com.

932
00:49:05.280 --> 00:49:08.639
You can also find Beth on LinkedIn. She's Beth b

933
00:49:08.800 --> 00:49:10.679
E t H and her last name is w A

934
00:49:10.960 --> 00:49:13.880
n n e R. Last week, if you missed the

935
00:49:13.920 --> 00:49:16.119
live show, you can always catch a via recorded podcast.

936
00:49:16.199 --> 00:49:18.480
Who We Are on air with Norman Wolfe, the founder

937
00:49:18.480 --> 00:49:20.840
and CEO of Quantum Leaders and the creator of the

938
00:49:20.920 --> 00:49:24.679
Living Organization, which is a framework that replaces machine thinking

939
00:49:24.760 --> 00:49:28.360
with a leadership model grounded and how organizations actually work.

940
00:49:28.880 --> 00:49:30.159
The author of a.

941
00:49:30.280 --> 00:49:32.159
Soon to be released book he co authored with his

942
00:49:32.199 --> 00:49:36.480
wife Jane called Leading the Living Organization Transform How you

943
00:49:36.559 --> 00:49:39.639
lead to deliver extraordinary results. It is a playful case

944
00:49:39.679 --> 00:49:42.440
study illustration of how a leader can grow into becoming

945
00:49:42.480 --> 00:49:46.119
a living organization leader, evolving themselves as they go and

946
00:49:46.159 --> 00:49:49.599
taking their organization to new dynamic heights. Next week, we'll

947
00:49:49.599 --> 00:49:51.679
be on the air with Michael Yang talking about his

948
00:49:51.800 --> 00:49:54.920
new book Coming Alive on the Ride a Member, a

949
00:49:55.280 --> 00:49:59.800
memoir of motorcycle travel, self discovery and Korean heritage. C

950
00:50:00.159 --> 00:50:03.360
Then let's continue leaning into discovering how to elevate your

951
00:50:03.360 --> 00:50:07.079
operating system as a leader and create destination workplaces where

952
00:50:07.159 --> 00:50:08.559
legendary business takes place.

953
00:50:08.960 --> 00:50:10.039
Let's work on Purpose.

954
00:50:13.000 --> 00:50:15.639
We hope you've enjoyed this week's program. Be sure to

955
00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:19.320
tune into Working on Purpose featuring your host, doctor Elise Cortes,

956
00:50:19.440 --> 00:50:22.760
each week on W four CY. Together, we'll create a

957
00:50:22.800 --> 00:50:27.400
world where business operates conscientiously. Leadership inspires and passion performance

958
00:50:27.519 --> 00:50:30.280
and employees are fulfilled in work that provides the meaning

959
00:50:30.320 --> 00:50:31.360
and purpose they crave.

960
00:50:31.800 --> 00:50:32.440
See you there.

961
00:50:32.719 --> 00:50:34.119
Let's work on Purpose.