August 10

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Working Women and a Life Plan

By Jana Hassett

August 10, 2021

Life Plan

“Women Exit Workforce Over Child Care”

That wasn’t the headline in the Oct. 22nd USA Today article that appeared in the Money + Life section of the newspaper that grabbed my attention.  It was the sub header that sparked my ire – “More women forced to choose family over job”.

How insulting is that? Forced?  What about giving them, and their family, credit for accessing their needs and choices and making the decision part of their life plan?

Life Plan?  Yes, everyone should have one.  Just like an elevator speech, everyone needs both.  From the self-employed to those in the industries hardest hit by the Covid-19 restrictions – retail, childcare, and restaurants -  having a life plan helps us all choose a direction for our lives.  And dropping out of the workforce is a different message than being “forced” out.

And let’s face it, the pandemic has caused fear in most of us.  Fear of losing our lifestyle, losing our homes, and/or losing our jobs has happened to hundreds of Americans already, and there’s more to come.

Having a plan would alleviate some of the fear experienced by those that had no plan. 

Do You Have A Plan?

Was working and having children in day care part of your plan?  Was disaster factored into your plan? Have you sat down with your family and revised an existing plan?

Plans are a pathway to an outcome, whether it is for your life, your work, or a vacation.  It can all change in a heartbeat, but having a plan keeps your moving in the direction of your choice.

Have a Plan – Work Your Plan!

The outcomes mentioned in Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy’s article may have occurred even if the people interviewed had a life plan.  A plan cannot create a path to overcome every emergency in life.  But it can help you create certainty to offset your fear.

Many employers were complacent to workers plight, others were afraid to risk letting employees work from home.  If there’s anything we should have learned from the pandemic, it was we must have a plan.

We must have a plan for work, both individuals and companies.  We’ve lost thousands of jobs in the retail, childcare, and restaurant industries because there were no plans to work.  It wasn’t broken, so it didn’t need fixing.  Many of our small businesses are run day to day, they don’t keep journals of the daily activities and sales, and they don’t have a plan.

Do you have a plan for your life and your business?

Need help writing your plan?

Visit “Journal Your Life Plan” and get started today!

Jana Hassett

About the author

Retired Congressional Aide, Coach, Mentor and Grant Writer, Jana advocates for everyone having an elevator speech. She currently serves as Business Coach for the Ms. Biz program at the Women's Business Center of Utah, Cedar City. She's been writing blogs since 2006 and enjoys journaling.
"Passing It On" is her WHY, in honor of all those that mentored and guided her journery over the years.

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