Celebrating Mother's Day at Tact.ai

A conversation with our colleagues at Tact.ai about the importance of Mother’s Day.

The pandemic put a huge strain on everyone, but for working mothers, it was especially hard. The duties of child care, house chores, the mental stress of the pandemic, and working from home, was a battle to conquer.

According to a 2020 study by McKinsey, 1 in 4 women are now considering leaving the workplace or downshifting their careers due to the disproportionate labour. As we navigate the future of work, it is up to us to adjust the norms and make the workforce a more sustainable and inclusive space.

In this blog, we recap some of the most useful tips, recommendations, and stories about work-life balance, navigating the pandemic while being a working mother and mothers in leadership.

What were your main learnings as a working mom in leadership during the pandemic?

Let’s be real … being a working parent (mom, dad, or otherwise) during the pandemic has been really (or perhaps the word “extremely” would be more appropriate) hard. What has inspired me is knowing I’m not alone, having other women (close girlfriends) to confide in, and working for a company that understands the individual challenges and stresses employees are experiencing (with extra emphasis on the word “individual”).

The learnings I’ve gained during the pandemic have been countless! I’ve learned more about myself, my co-workers, and my family in the past year than I ever would have … and for that I’m forever grateful. I think it’s safe to say my kids have proven to be far better leaders, and my CRO title actually stands for Children Run my Office!

In all seriousness, probably one of the most humbling lessons has been, whether leading a team or children/family life and doing so all in one environment, at the same time, I had to quickly accept things will rarely go as planned. This may sound trivial, however when having to accept this every day, all day, it can become demoralizing at times. I learned to be okay with it, and most importantly to give myself some slack. I read an HBR article at one point (during the pandemic) that said, “go for happy, not perfect” and that really resonated. This is easier said than done for most, but so rewarding when you do it! In summary, my greatest leanings have been as follows:

• Tapping into my emotional intelligence – this has proven to be extremely important for those around me. Practicing this has been one of my greatest leanings (and will continue to learn) and gift for me!

• Go for happy, not perfect - cut myself some slack, this has saved me

• Communicating the learnings of the day and celebrating the positives – My kids love doing this as a family and it’s become therapeutic

Happy Mother’s Day to all and please take a moment to celebrate all you have learned, accomplished, and the women in your life who have inspired you!!

-Jennell Dill, Chief Revenue Officer, Tact.ai

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What are the most important things for you from your workplace as a mother and an individual?

The important thing for me has been 3 aspects of my life; being a mom, having a work-life balance, and having something else that I do that is exciting and keeps my life full (for me that’s mostly mountain biking, other mountain adventures). These various points in life are all important and Tact has been very supportive of that, and I wish all women get to experience the same kind of support in their workplace.

From my workplace, a place where I can be successful.  For my son, it gives him pride to see me accomplishing things at work and is even interested in becoming a UX designer based on learning about what we do at Tact!

-Ann Klein, Chief Product Officer at Tact.ai

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What’s the most exciting part of mother’s day 2021 for you?

There is a beautiful poem from an unknown author entitled "My Mother's Garden" that reminds me of my mom who is turning 78 next month. I love her to the moon and back ...

While my husband and I did not have children, I celebrate the women in my life who are wonderful, caring, nurturing mothers. And I reflect on how lucky of a woman I am to have such an incredible Mom. It's also a time to recognize that I have been fortunate enough to be a "dog mom" to my beautiful labs who give me unconditional love.

-Kristin Fix, Sales Lead at Tact.ai

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What’s the best part about being a working mom at Tact?

It’s helpful and healthy for my children to see me working... It gets even better when they see me love my work! That is what Tact has given me ..a great work-life balance that lets me be a forever-hovering mom and a career woman. It has also provided me the opportunity to work with some of the smartest and friendliest people, so coming to work is exciting.

-Anuradha Sreenivasan, Sr. Engineering Manager at Tact.ai

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How important is a flexible work culture for you as a mother?

It has been a learning experience for me at Tact with the most supportive team I could ever have asked for. I am the mom of 6-year-old twins and need all the support I can get, so the flexibility Tact provides has been a godsend, especially when schooling is online.

The rare combination of a supportive environment and challenging work that Tact provides is what gets me out of bed every day!

-Remya Nair, Senior Manager QA

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