A working mother undergoes a lot of challenges. Not only is she dealing with the guilt of leaving her baby to return to the office's daily grind but also navigating through doubts in her mind about being able to handle the work pressure. Radhika Gupta, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Office (CEO) of Edelweiss Asset Management Company, returned to work in August 2022, six weeks after giving birth to a baby boy. She is quite active on social media and often posts about work-life balance. Recently, she shared a post about managing her little one along with office work and said, "a little bit of planning, a lot of patience and a problem-solving attitude make things work".
Mrs Gupta took to LinkedIn to share one instance. She said that her mother was 21 when she had two children. Mrs Gupta, along with her brother, would spend time at a university where her mother attended night classes and students would babysit them.
Comparing her journey to her mother, the CEO said that she is fortunate to bring her son with a lot of help. However, one day, both parents had to go to work, so she found a simple solution for the same. She wrote, "But today, both us parents had to go to work, and the situation at home was tricky... so what did we do? Bring 6-month-old Remy to work. It felt like deja vu. He rolled, laughed and loved chilling in my cabin as I did my meetings." She added that her colleagues greeted her son with love and affection.
Mrs Gupta mentioned that planning and her "baby's laugh" helps her manage as a working mother. "I was asked countless times before having my baby, how are you going to make a mom and CEOs life work. Didn't have an answer then but I'd say now, a little bit of planning, a lot of patience and a problem solving attitude make things work. And a baby's laugh does the rest," she concluded.
Since being shared, her post has received over 10,000 likes. "I am really happy for you to see how you could bring your son to workplace and manage both so efficiently. I wish others could do the same," said one person.
"Gratitude Mam and to all the working Moms. I just wanted to take a moment to express my admiration and appreciation for all that you do. Being a mom is hard work on its own, but combining that with a full-time job is truly an impressive feat," added another user.
Many users also said that Mrs Gupta was able to do so as she was the top executive in the company and such benefits are not available to everyone.
A person said, "I wish all young mothers had this privilege. In a real world of people in not so high posts, women struggle physically and emotionally with their small children. Can't bring them to work, leave them with relatives or day care. And no one actually thinks that this is a mother with a child at home."
"My post might seem rude but honestly this is not a reality for 99% of working women. No one has space to put a handbag let alone a baby ...the CEO's post allows you to have a cabin where you can feed, change and even handle baby tantrums," said another user.
