Family Involvement

For almost 2 decades now, you could say I've been obsessed with this notion of finding ways to thrive at home and at work. Some call this life balance, work-life balance, being centered, wholeness...and the list goes on.
 
I was so obsessed with this topic (even in my college years), that I wrote my entire master's thesis about it.  I was unsure how I would have the career I wanted and be the mom I wanted to be. I truly didn't know if it would be possible or not. 
 
Given this obsession, one of the things I'm most happy with is how our team can include our kids in the business.  I also love to see other organizations do this well! 
 
Here are a few fun ways we love to involve our kids:

• Celebration & Recognition - At our most recent HIHR Team celebration, our kids had an important role and helped present the awards. They too received an award to thank them for supporting their parents!
• Creativity - One of our team members has invited her children to draw pictures for other team members that she includes in envelopes when sending out team mail! It's so lovely all around and this has been a fun routine for several years.
• Innovation - Asking your kids' opinion on business ideas! They really seem to get a kick out of this, and most times have something to add.
• Communicaiton - Let them listen in on team meetings and trainings.
• Inclusion - Invite them to come and say hello when they are near the home office.
• Teamwork - Give them an opportunity to help. My kids ended up being super into setting up our training space last week! My daughter happily passed out the papers and markers and my son had the responsibility of setting up the flip charts. It was a family affair just before the school day and we had a blast doing this together! I felt excitement for the day to come and the family matched that energy. 🙂

Of course, our kids are not always in the helping mode or may not seem to care in the moment. However, the times we've been able to pull them in has overall been a positive experience. 
 
Fostering an environment across the team that is family focused brings much care, connection, and trust to the workplace! When possible, it’s great for parents to get kids involved with their work! Show them that work can be exciting, life-giving, and fun! Not that it is easy every moment or there are not hard things to do at times... but invite them in. Bring them to 'Take-Your-Child-to-Work Day!’ 
 
One of the most awesome requests we received at our Mom's Career Development event last week was to provide a space for our daughters to be exposed to these powerful conversations and learn some of this at an early age. I loved this idea and can't wait to dive into the possibilities of bringing our boys and girls along with us on this journey.

It's awesome to see things continue to improve in this area, allowing families and careers to thrive! Much more to come!

​Author: Erika Butler, CEO

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