DEAR ASK THE LADY IN THE HARD HAT…

You are out of balance. You’re maxed out juggling both your job and home in a work environment where you pretend the two do not mix.


WHY are you masking your needs?

You don’t feel like you get respect at work if you come across as a mom, and you don’t think anybody at home cares that you have a job.


WHY do you think these things?

You feel guilty when you are at home and when you are at work. We are living in an era where education and childcare have new challenges and aging parents have become more complicated. At work, new obstacles such as COVID-19 outbreaks and supply chain shortages make your job increasingly stressful – it’s harder to separate the two.


WHY do you feel guilty?
Because you’re trying to do everything perfectly. In doing that, you are feeling overwhelmed as a mother and worker.


WHY do you have to be perfect?
You think it’s expected of you. It feels easier to try and stretch yourself between both worlds than to speak up and ask for what you need.


WHY is it so hard to ask for what you need?

It shows that you are vulnerable and you might be used to an environment where that is not always celebrated.

It can be hard to let your true self shine in a world where strength is a high priority and the expectation is to push through. COVID-19 is chipping away at this as newly added pressures complicate peoples’ lives. One way to hone in on the balance you crave between your work and home life is to get comfortable speaking up and asking for what you need – in both your job and at home.


It might feel easier to stay silent, but the reality is the less you say, the more others define your voice. Maybe you’re too swamped at home to accept that extra overtime shift. Or maybe you need to address a personal problem on the production line. Think about what you need through an objective and balanced lens, and then ask for support when necessary.


Additionally, in the name of balance, it’s always a great idea to bring forward a solution when making a request. It shows an understanding of what the business requires and how you can deliver what is needed – the road to get there may just look a little different.


Manufacturing is an industry made up of problem solvers who are good at attention to detail, adaptability and collaboration – all skills that have been developed throughout your lifetime. You didn’t become the person you are solely from this industry, so use all the traits that have shaped you as a woman wearing many hats in the manufacturing world.


Yes, we are workers, but we are also human beings. You’re not the only one who has felt the need to build up a wall between your work and home life. But things are starting to shift. It’s time to advocate and normalize the need for balance as a worker, caregiver and woman in manufacturing.