Kayla Tausche CNBC

Q&A
So many women in the workplace are mothers trying to
balance their work and home life and yet many do not
feel empowered to talk about their home life or even “admit”
it is a priority for fear of appearing less committed to
their jobs. Yet, you are quite outspoken about being the
mother of three and your commitment level to your family
as well as working toward helping other women reach
that point. At this point, how is your message of balance
and the importance of home life being received? Do you
feel that progress is being made in this issue?
I think we’ve made progress but we haven’t gotten nearly
as far as we can. Women are still outnumbered when
it comes to leadership roles. In fact, a study from the University
of Denver found that only 20 percent of corporate
leadership roles are held by women. Additionally, a study
that we conducted at Palo Alto Software found that women
are five times as likely to be discriminated against at work
and twice as likely to be called “bossy.” There are women
out there like Sheryl Sandberg and Hillary Clinton that are
certainly paving the way for women, but we’re not quite
there yet.
The surprising thing is just how far we still have to go. I
would have expected the numbers of women in company
leadership roles to be higher than they are today. What this
tells me is that we still have a lot of work to do in making
the corporate landscape change to acknowledge that working
women can both excel in their careers and be mothers.
The difference is that the system must change -- women just
have to be able to do work on their terms, and not on existing
corporate norms, which, for the most part, have been
set by men.
Perhaps somewhat a follow-up to the previous question,
but how would you characterize for men in regards to the
pressures they feel between work and home life? After
all, they are parents too, right?
I think men face a lot of the same challenges. They also
experience difficulty balancing their home and work lives
because of corporate norms. But, I think there are differences
between men and women when it comes to career-oriented
parents. If a man with children is a workaholic, it’s
often admired. But if a woman with children is dedicated
to her career, people often wonder if she is also able to be a
good mother.
The biggest problem men face is that they are judged if
they want to work and also be involved in their children's
lives. It is harder for a man to take time off for a sick child
or because he wants to go on a school field trip. Expectations
are such that men are expected to be the workaholics
and have spouses to deal with their children. Many modern
men have become much more involved in their kids’ lives
from the day they are born. We need to let men be parents,
and give them flexibility, as well as honor and encourage
their participation in their children’s lives.
You are supportive of your employees bringing their children
to the workplace – what are the limits on that and
what do you hope to accomplish by giving children more
access to the workplace?
I give my employees the choice to bring their children
into the office as needed because I believe that traditional
workplace norms hold working mothers back from succeeding
in their careers. I truly believe that working mothers
shouldn’t have to “balance” their work and home lives,
but rather that they should be integrated. It should never
be family versus work, and women shouldn’t feel that they
need to sacrifice their careers to be parents.
My policies do have limitations, however. Working parents
do not bring their kids to work every day in replace
of daycare--it’s more of a safety net. If school is canceled,
the kids are sick or they can’t find a babysitter, the kids
can come spend the day or a few hours in the office. Also,
mothers with newborns who do not want to take extensive
maternity leave (we of course give maternity leave) are also
encouraged to bring their babies with them to work. We
have a designated space where older children play or do
homework and are expected to be quiet and respectful. Not
every newborn baby will do well in a company environment.
Because of that we also give women the flexibility to
choose where, how and when they want to work when they
have a new baby.
In terms of the current economy, the amount of regulation
and red tape that has to be taken care to even get a
business started and just the general mood of the country,
how would you characterize the opportunities that entrepreneurs
now have?
As we pull out of the recession, the climate for startups is
getting better. The biggest issue a startup has faced in the
last 5-6 years is access to capital to get the business off the
ground. As the lending landscape becomes a little easier,
and more and more companies offer different and creative
ways to help fund startups, the opportunity for entrepreneurs
has increased.
What I would like to see are more examples of working
moms who have successfully started businesses. Too often
women are given the advice that they can’t start a family
and a business at the same time. While being pregnant and
being the mother of a small child is difficult, raising children
in general is difficult. If women use kids as an excuse
to not start a business, they will never take the leap and get
the business off the ground.
Running your own business is hard, exhausting and can
be very stressful. But having the ability to make decisions,
set your hours and work the way in which you want to
work makes work life balance easier. It reduces the stress a
working parent has when their boss calls all the shots.
THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.23