WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


Tapping Into the Working Parent W


ith the large number of women in the senior living workforce, ideas on recruiting and retain-


ing mothers who are high-quality employees are highly welcome. The Mom Project, a company that matches moms to employ- ment, is not just for mothers; it’s for any talented professional who values making the working world more gender diverse and hospitable to supporting people with careers and families. CEO Allison Robinson shares how The


Mom Project got started and what it grew into, as well as tips from experience and re- search on what employers can do to recruit and retain high-quality employees.


A talent pool of 43 percent “When I was on maternity leave with my first son, I came across a statistic in the Harvard Business Review that was really sober- ing: 43 percent of highly qualified women leave the workforce after they have children,” Robinson writes in an email interview. “They either leave permanently or they off-ramp with the intention to go back.” “That was the catalyst for me starting


The Mom Project. I wanted to create a solution for these 43 percent of women and the companies that need them—not just more talk.” Before founding The Mom Project,


Robinson spent eight years at Procter & Gamble, working on go-to-market strategies for household brands—including Pampers, with the North American strategy team. While there, she says, “I was energized


by learning more and more about the Mil- lennial Mom. This generation in particular was not only experiencing motherhood differently but changing the conversations around parenting.”


She cites trends from her experience and


from Pew Research Center: More millennial parents are college educated and waiting longer to have children—and more mothers are serving as the family’s sole or primary breadwinner. “The Mom Project ensures this vital source of talent is not overlooked.”


Matching prospects with openings “Our algorithms are designed to pair moth- ers with flexible jobs that are more suitable to match their career-life stage. Our match engine is based on algorithms that include traditional work factors next to life and flex- ibility factors to get to a more transparent match for the real desires of the women in our community,” Robinson writes. “For one, we ask job seekers to create a


profile to fine tune the algorithm. To elimi- nate bias, we focus on asking questions that elevate expertise and experience.”


Solutions to shortages Asked about workforce shortages in senior living, Robinson writes: “We created Mom Project Labs to give insights into questions exactly like this. Our independent research arm quantifies what women really need/ want at work.”


Change Agent Profile


Allison Robinson CEO


The Mom Project


Talent Pool Starts With R-E-S-P-E-C-T By Sara Wildberger


Their research identified 10 drivers for


women’s success. These include flexibility in work hours, ability to work remotely, and benefits that promote work/life balance. “Ultimately, the most significant driver


to happiness and engagement at work for women is respect. Thus, our number one tip for navigating a workforce shortage is to understand the specific drivers within your company that will allow you to make gains in performance outcomes such as loyalty, or recommendation as a place to work. “And default to driving a culture of respect


for all employees,” she writes. “It’s a candi- dates’ market, but organizations can stand apart by respecting flexibility, innovating on their retention strategies, and evaluating their workforce programs through data and insights that drive true success.”


THE WOMEN’S WORK INITIATIVE


With the mission “to build a better workplace for women, mothers, and the businesses they support,” The Mom Project launched its Women’s Work Initiative in 2018. It offers programs to leading corporations to help boost hiring and retention of women, with the goal this year of bringing 1,000 women back to work. Participating companies include Roku, Georgia-Pacific, and Invesco. To explore getting involved, visit themomproject.com.


40 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019


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