Five Mistakes Working Moms Should Avoid While In The Office

2 min read By eCompareMo on May 29, 2015

Working moms have to live double lives: one involves taking care of duties at work between 9 and 5 and the other is playing the mommy part 24/7, 365 days a week. In this fast-paced world where the cost of living keeps on going up, moms are forced to make a compromise, letting go of some hours that should be used to take care of their kids instead. While this may be unavoidable, there are times that working moms tend to make missteps that may compromise their job security. What are some of the most common mistakes mom commit in the office?

Complaining about your personal life with your co-workers

Did you catch your housekeeper slacking while on duty? Or did your kid get bruises after tripping at a playground? While these events may require your full attention as a mother, unfortunately, nobody wants to hear these things from you. Instead of ranting to your co-workers, save those moments for your closest friends. If you’re in the office and you have to deal with these things via phone, keep your voice low and do it in a secluded area.

Making your family issues an open book

While most of the time, they don’t care about your problems at home, there may be people who are too nosy and will ask every detail about your family even if it doesn’t concern them. Whether you like it or not, some people have the knack for sticking their nose in other people’s business. If this is the case with your coworkers, avoid sharing too much information with them. Whenever they ask about something, keep the stories light, and try to tell a funny story.

Keeping lots of family photos on your desk

Having a framed photo of your family on your desk can be a good thing; when the going gets tough, one look at a photo of a happy family can boost your morale and give you the strength to soldier on. However, overdoing it–and by overdoing, we mean having a photo album’s worth of pictures on your mise en place–may reflect something negative about you. It may send the message that you’d rather be somewhere else, and it can affect the way you look at your work.

Jumping the office gossip bandwagon

If there is one thing that is absolutely disgusting in the office culture, it has to be those small gossip talks near the water cooler. If you think that participating in these events can only do harm to others, bear in mind that gossiping is a double-edged blade. It slowly fills you up with negative ideas and next thing you know, the bad vibes have bled through your home life. You don’t want your office drama to affect the way you handle your family, after all.

Rendering overtime even if unnecessary

You are living a double life, and it is important to have some sense of structure in your everyday routine. When you render overtime, you are taking away a portion of your time for the family for your work. Every once in a while, it is perfectly fine to render overtime, especially when it is for your career growth. However, never let your work take you away from your family. Keep in mind that family goes first above all.

Being a working mom may be challenging at time, but this doesn’t mean that you should let mistakes get the best of you. Tread carefully, avoid unnecessary activities, and everything will be a smooth sail for you.