If you don’t know it yet, it is my inherent mission in life to help women in Malaysia with their child care problems. Unfortunately in Malaysia, we hear of babies and kids DYING whilst in the care of others and this is happening all too often so much so that it is crazy. You would be deemed crazy if you left your child with a nursery, or day care or a maid. But what choice do women have really? Not everyone has parents or in-laws to help with child care and not everyone can afford to have Mom stay at home full time to care for the kids. So how would we solve this problem???
Most people would just laugh at me and my crazy ideas and slam me down that this would never happen. Malaysia will NEVER allow children to the boardroom.
I say bring a baby to the boardroom in a literal sense but actually mean having offices become more child friendly, force companies to provide childcare facilities or at the very least landlords, force the Government to take a more pro-active stance on helping women and childcare (have some strict guidelines and proper enforcement, for goodness sake!), and Moms, do your job REALLY well so that your requests for help with child care won’t fall on deaf ears.
Sure, companies want to make money and most will close the door in considering spending a little extra beyond the salaries but what they don’t realise is that by making an employee happy, productivity soars. It is common sense. And if it doesn’t, get rid of that employee!
I definitely see the value in companies helping Moms out by being more flexible with working hours and flexibility with the normal office rules. OK, so a baby might be a serious distraction at a Board Meeting where multi-million dollar decisions needed to be made, but surely there are ways around that. Perhaps the Mom is included into that meeting via video-conferencing, perhaps baby is happy to play with Nanny just outside the boardroom, I don’t know. But there must be a solution to it.
If Mothers would do their jobs REALLY well, companies would find it hard to lose them. Of course, no one is indispensable but certainly some more than others and sometimes, if you worked really hard (and smart), people WILL start noticing you. And once the CEO likes you, he is more likely to bend the rules for you. Admit it, if someone were a superstar employee and ultimately making you money, wouldn’t you accommodate her request to bring her baby to work? Whatever the setback, solve it. If there is a will, there is a way.
This week, I brought T2 to my client’s office because I didn’t have a choice. They are a global technology provider listed on the Milan stock exchange. It wasn’t for a presentation (thank God) but just a meeting to resolve some pending issues. I had some curious looks from 6 matsallehs who were in another boardroom, the locals were tickled and the person I had the meeting with said nothing. We just got on with it and admittedly, there were some moments of Ssshhhhh!!! to T2 but all in all, we had achieved what we’d set out to do.
More and more of this needs to happen before any change can take place. People need to accept that bringing a baby (or a child) to the boardroom is OK. Who knows? It could be the child that solves your multi-million dollar problem and gives you a head start with a new idea!
**************************************************************************Who is Mamapumpkin?
Mamapumpkin is a former Design Architect turned Multi-Million Dollar Digital Entrepreneur. She sets out to prove to all that you can have anything and everything that you want; if you have that fire of desire burning within and the drive to work hard. Even better with much love.
Mamapumpkin has not only grown corporate businesses successfully in the past and doubled her salary 5 times over 5 organisations but has grown THREE BUSINESSES to 7 FIGURES within an 8 year period. She now shows others EXACTLY HOW after retiring her own husband from employment. He is now the official dog walker, family driver, chef and THE BEST FATHER to their two girls and THE BEST HUSBAND to the woman who CHOSE HIM!
Mamapumpkin is the girl who has nothing but fights for everything including YOU. She is idealistic in her desire to put unbelievable amounts of money and extrardinary happiness into the lives of good people so we can change the world together believing in happiness for ALL. She strives to impact lives authentically wanting to reduce poverty cycles and enable quality education for all and always supports the voiceless. She believes we can all have a life of our own desires to enable real contribution into the world. But first, one needs to understand what this all means.
A beautiful life without limits.
If you wish to learn how to propel your life forward guaranteed, be brave to take action. Mamapumpkin's purpose is to build people. Her gift is to help them UNCOVER their HIDDEN GIFTS. She operates fairly and always leaves an impression. You either love her or not and she is alright either way.
She is a living testimony that women really can have a lot. Being financially and time free has enabled her to travel the world anytime, anywhere, doing anything with anyone, as she spends most of her days with her children, having fun, supporting others wherever she can. Also having fun.
I totally AGREE!!! Let me bring my girl to work, and I am sure it is a GREAT motivation! I always wonder how come nobody want to do a design with building at the ground floor (or any other floor) to be use as a Childcare centre!!! come, come, let’s join hand together to make this happen…
If this ever happens in my company, i will be so freaking loyal to them.
I wouldn’t agree literally bringing my kid INTO the boardroom as it would distract me more than anything. But I’m 100% supportive of having child minding facilities at work. Did you know I ALMOST got my way with my ex-company?? Even managed to get them to foot part of the bill. Must tell you this story next time….
I just fired my maid as I saw her slapping my baby in the video. Now, I and my hubby are taking turn to take care of him until my in-laws came (both are 70+ of age) in one week time.
I am all prepared to bring a baby to a boardroom if there is no other way out. What needs to be done need to be done.
I do that all the time. I bring my anak to where ever I go. If people book me for lessons and workshops, there is a clause that stated Ethan will be with me. Even when I do freelancing work, Ethan tags along. I guess I’ve tattooed on my forehead that if you want to hire ME, you’ll have to hire Ethan as well 🙂
i was tickled at the picture of T2. So cute…watching mommy in action 🙂
Whatever it is, we can’t rely on the government to do anything cause if we could, we won’t have this ridiculous maid problems.
Coming up a rule is easy. Enforcing and monitoring it is another.
I am soooo for companies to set up a day care within the office! If other countries can make it happen, why not ours???
Yes, I’m 100% with the fact that having kids in the same workplace/office/boardroom (not in a separate childcare facility in the same building) would be totally stressful and distracting. I sure know, since for 12 years I ran my own business and had my kids with me much of the time, especially in the initial years. I would even specially go into the office on weekends when DH is at home to *jaga* the kids so that I could work in peace. Oh, and working at home with kids around is not exactly the solution either – that’s quite terrible. May sound very ideal and all, but I’m sure glad I have put all that behind me.
I salute to all mommies out there who bring their kids to work ! What more to the boardroom !
this is a great post, I’m glad you brought this up, and I hope someday, what you just voiced up will be a reality, in this country. thank you.