When the opportunity was right, but the timing wasn't, team support made the choice easier

Please note this essay was originally shared by Lisa Tarcy on her LinkedIn page. 

In 2016, after my son Logan was born, I made the difficult but necessary (for me) decision to leave the workforce to focus on my new family and motherhood. I spent the first nine months of Logan’s life home with him. During those days, I dedicated my life to savoring every moment with my baby boy. Those memories will be kept close to my heart for years to come.

When Logan was nine months old, I began to explore job opportunities, yearning to enter the workforce once again, and to make an impact for a mission-oriented organization. Then, I found Women in Manufacturing. I remember coming across the Marketing and Events Coordinator position and thinking to myself, “this sounds amazing!”

Since joining the team more than five years ago, our family has again expanded, and in 2018, we welcomed our son Max. While our family has grown, gratefully, so have my career opportunities. In 2019, I was promoted to a manager within the organization and most recently, in 2022, I received an incredible opportunity to lead our member services team as a director—an opportunity I did not feel as though I could pass up! I’ve worked so hard to get here. We working moms can have it all, right? 

I quickly discovered that for me, at this stage and space of time in my life, I cannot. Or at least not in the way I initially visualized “it all” to be…

A short while after accepting director position, I decided to take a step back and reduce my responsibilities in order to dedicate more time to my family. This is not a decision I took lightly. To come to the realization that I simply couldn't manage and maintain a healthy work/life balance at this stage in my life as a working parent was downright hard. But the fact that my team at WiM has been so supportive of my decision and my truth as it stands, is not lost on me.

According to an article written by Motherly, “Despite the pandemic’s effect on an increased remote workforce, 48% of mothers who are currently employed report dissatisfaction with their employer’s lack of schedule flexibility and paid time off—55% of mothers report their employer can better support them with longer, paid maternity leave. So while the flexibility of working from home may seem ideal, mothers are still struggling with childcare issues along with unsupportive employers.”

This snippet from Motherly's 2022 State of Motherhood Survey Report provides great insight into the struggles working moms face today. If not for my supportive boss and colleagues to which whom I have the pleasure of calling my WiM work team, and of course the support of my family, I could very well have been a part of the above statistics of working moms who are dissatisfied within their careers and overall life balance. My deepest hope is that with a continued focus on the wellbeing of parents and caregivers in today’s workforce, more individuals will be able to have “it all” in a balanced, healthy, and happy way as I am able to!

Does Lisa's story resonate with you? Connect with peers and potential mentors like Lisa at the upcoming Moms in MFG event. This half day event is fully virtual for your convenience and is a wonderful opportunity to engage with, bond with and learn from other moms in Manufacturing.