Serena Williams Helps Moms Find Work Through The Mom Project

The organization recently committed $500,000 in grant funds to help companies employ — and keep employed — moms amid the pandemic

For women, deciding whether to return to work comes with endless considerations, including (but certainly not limited to) childcare costs, finances, desire, partner support, employer flexibility, and, now, all that the pandemic brings. Many studies show women would consider returning to work, but their employers aren’t accommodating; and ultimately, it becomes impossible to juggle both. In the U.S., 34 percent of women leave their jobs after having a child, much of the decision due to inflexible work schedules and childcare costs. And according to a 2019 Indeed survey of moms who opted not to return to work after having a child, 80 percent said they would have stayed with a work from home option, and 50 percent of moms said would have stayed with more flexible hours.

Enter the Mom Project, an organization whose mission is to pair working moms and caregivers with employers looking to tap into experienced, diverse resources. It’s also an organization that caught the attention of mom-of-one, Serena Williams.

The Mom Project, a digital talent marketplace and community, connects professionally accomplished women with world-class employers who are looking for talent — be it full or part-time — for a Maternityship, or to be a part of its reentry programs.

The companies that partner with The Mom Project are actively seeking to engage with this population because they are highly skilled, motivated, and diverse, which equates to higher profitability, more innovation, and a more inclusive company culture. They see this as one of the greatest untapped resources in finding new talent that can come in and make an immediate impact. (They also have a Chief Puppy Officer, if you wanted one more reason to love them.)

The Moms Project’s work has been so impressive, it’s caught the eye of tennis star Williams, who is now partnering with the organization to help improve the environment for working mothers.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a team of one or 100,000; if you’re hiring, are you considering hiring moms?” Williams said in a press release, addressing business leaders. “Together, we can influence how work gets done and build a better workplace for the future.”

The pandemic and the additional strain being taken on by working moms only highlights the need for greater flexibility. The Mom Project is helping with this, too. “In April, we announced our Stronger Together Fund, which committed $500,000 in grant funds to help companies employ (and keep moms employed) during the pandemic,” Allison Robinson, CEO and Founder of The Mom Project, tells Scary Mommy.

Robinson also said now is the time to address the gaps head-on. “A recent study by WerkLabs, the Mom Project’s research and insights division, found that women are twice as likely than their male counterparts to leave their employer in a year’s time due to their workplace experience during the pandemic. Now is the time to rethink the modern workplace and take bold action to meaningfully support working parents including things like flexible work hours outside 9-5, four-day workweeks, remote workforces, and more.”

We couldn’t agree more.

If you want to learn more about joining the Mom Project, please visit them at themomproject.com.