5 moms share how they balance parenting and their career

by Chelsea Kelly

A few months into working from home this past year, it was clear that parents and caregivers were struggling. Uber’s Executive Leadership Team, represented by our Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, acted fast to create more flexibility for caregivers and signed the Invest in Parents pledge committing to advocating for and supporting working parents to help them participate in, remain in, and thrive in the workforce.

This Mother’s Day, more than a year into working from home, we checked in with five moms across the world to learn how they’re balancing parenting and growing their careers here at Uber.

What I do at Uber

“I work in the US Rides Operations team overseeing the Pacific Northwest, spanning from Alaska down to Oregon. My job varies widely from leading product launches, crisis management, marketplace operations and engaging with drivers. I have been a member of the Parents at Uber Employee Resource Group (ERG) since 2019 and followed my passion to make a difference by taking on a leadership role as a Global Co-Chair.”

How I balance parenting and career

“I work because I believe it is important for my daughter Aria to see me as an individual and not just as her mom. I want to shatter any hypothetical glass ceilings that exist so that when Aria grows up she knows that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to. I am also fortunate to have an extremely supportive spouse, Aviral, who has always believed in me and constantly pushes me to achieve greater heights.  

Parenting and work have been a balancing act especially in the age of COVID, so I have had to make time during work hours for meal time and homeschooling. Sometimes I need to log back online after bedtime to catch up on work and prepare for the next day. I also stack my meetings when Aria is at school 3 days a week for a few hours — this allows me to be flexible with my timing so that when she is at home I can get her occupied with an activity and get my own work done in shorter chunks.”   

How Uber supports me as a mom

“I have always felt very supported as a mother at Uber. Even pre-COVID, my managers were accommodating of my need to log off at 5 p.m. to pick up Aria from school, or work around other school commitments. I have also always been very open about my need for flexibility. As part of the Parents ERG, I have strived to encourage fellow parents to share their stories and creative hacks globally. Being involved in the Parents ERG gives me the opportunity to walk the talk and be the champion for parents across Uber.” 

My Mother’s Day message to my fellow working moms 

“Ask for help and accept the help that is being offered.” Unfortunately, we live in a society that awards moms for being ‘superwomen,’ but the reality is that nobody would choose to be a superwoman if they did not need to. 

The first few months of the pandemic were really hard for me as I was trying to juggle full time work, full time parenting (with a then 4 year old) while also ensuring that the 3 people in the house were fed 3 meals a day plus snacks! I got to a breaking point and realized that I was burning myself out and that it was not a sustainable way to survive what at that point felt like a really long road. 

That realization along with some collective brainstorming, helped me put a plan in place. I took baby steps in making simple life decisions such as splitting responsibilities with my husband, bringing him in to share workload, carve out time for my kid during the work day and in absence of a real commute, respecting the work/home barrier by logging off at 5 p.m. and not logging back online every night. Looking back at the last year, I now definitely feel I have a better handle on juggling work, life, and parenting and that Uber and its management have been nothing but supportive all along.”

What I do at Uber

“I work in the Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Western and Southern Europe (WSE) regions as an Executive Assistant Business Partner to three General Managers (GM). I work closely with the Strategy, Planning, and Operations teams on their priorities for their businesses and their regions. My primary goal is to do everything I can to ensure that my GMs are free to focus on their large business priorities, goals and tasks, helping them also on their work and life balance. I am also the EMEA Co-Chair and Global Benefits and Programs Lead for the Parents at Uber ERG.”

How I balance parenting and career

“Before Lucas was born, I used to be totally emotional about everything that involved my work, taking things too seriously with a lot of susceptibilities and not enough hindsight. I was at 100% with everything and this was too intense. Becoming a mom has allowed me to put things in perspective. Today I have thicker skin––I’m more resilient and much less susceptible to stress. I am more fulfilled, having put my family life at the forefront, and my son has given new energy to my career and a better way to interpret challenges, feedback, and ways to support my growth. For my own self-care and balance I enjoy meditation and Thai boxing.” 

How Uber supports me as a mom

“Since my first interview at Uber, I felt completely at ease and free to have any necessary discussions with my leads. This remains true even as I have changed which leads I support. I have open discussions with them when needed, and they give me the flexibility I need as they are confident about my work and my involvement. Having the community of the Parents ERG group makes my day special too. By getting more involved, I can contribute to making sure we continue to improve and become an even better workplace for parents.” 

My Mother’s Day message to my fellow working moms 

“Make magic around you and see the smiles on your family’s faces. Try to be happy, more peaceful and not too demanding with yourself. No matter what you do, you will be a flawless mom and an awesome person.”

What I do at Uber

“I work on the Midwest Delivery team as an Account Manager in Chicago. I manage over 600 restaurants on Uber Eats to help restaurants see success on the platform. I also curate marketing campaigns for our smaller business restaurants, like Black Restaurant Week, Women’s Restaurant Week and currently Celebrating AAPI owned Restaurants (thank you, Christina Liou and Kristin Choe) to create an inclusive environment on our app and celebrate the diversity of our restaurant partners.” 

How I balance parenting and career

“It has been a challenge, especially during the pandemic. I’ve had to juggle a toddler and a calendar full of meetings. Luckily my colleagues and clients have shown grace. I no longer have to apologize for Raegan interrupting a meeting. I am still learning what balance means for me, and every day is different.” 

How Uber supports me as a mom

“When I started at Uber I was a breastfeeding mom of a 6-month-old and a contractor. From day one of walking into the Canal office, everyone made me feel comfortable, especially my assignment-provider at the time, Omar Garcia. The Uber team accommodated me being a breastfeeding mom by providing a mother’s room to pump, snacks, and pumping supplies. It’s the little things that showed inclusiveness. 

Being a part of Parents at Uber has been rewarding and a ray of sunshine. Having to plan virtual events during the pandemic was something to adjust to, but seeing the little smiling faces and other parents on video during our Virtual Summer camp and Uberween event brought me so much excitement as a parent. 

Back in February, our ERGs, Black at Uber and Parents at Uber, teamed up and put on a webinar with Ripple Reads to help parents have conversations about race and radical justice. In the webinar we shared our experiences as parents and asked difficult questions to better assist our children during this time. As a black mother and employee, it showed me that we are making the right strides in becoming a more inclusive place to work for parents, especially parents of color.”  

My Mother’s Day message to my fellow working moms 

“Celebrate your small wins. Take a break. Take a trip. Relax. Pour a glass of wine. You’ve got this!”

“I oversee all legal matters arising from our business in Korea, from commercial transactions to regulatory compliance. I work closely with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure compliance with local regulations and to minimize any potential legal risks in expanding our business.”

How I balance parenting and career 

“I joined Uber just a few weeks before the pandemic hit the APAC region. Even before I could settle into my new role, I started working from home with two kids who were struggling just the same with their own transition to online schooling. So when I started working from home, the kids were ecstatic that they got to wake up to my presence and have breakfast together and that I was around to witness their very first online classes.

But sure enough, the honeymoon phase wore off — I was struggling to switch between work and family, and it became difficult for me to log off when I needed to. As I knew that I would have to cope with this “working environment” for a bit longer, I had to take actions to become more organized so that I can better manage my time. For me, scheduling everything in my calendar helps me stay focused and carve out some alone time (away from the little people), even if it’s just a run to the Post Office for errands.

What really got me through the COVID challenges as a working mom is to remember to be grateful. With everything that has been happening around the world, I am grateful that my family has stayed healthy and together, and that for the first time in my career, I was given an opportunity to actually live those little daily moments of happiness with my kids and grow to understand them better.”

How Uber supports me as a mom 

“One thing that I learned quite early on into my onboarding is that family is such an important part of our culture at Uber. COVID or not, I knew that I would always have the support of such a caring community, including my managers and the leadership team. With the kids being out of school, our family could not have survived the pandemic (and online classes) if I wasn’t able to stay home. Uber’s extensive work from home policy and remote working system have enabled me to manage my time more efficiently and with more balance.”

My Mother’s Day message to my fellow working moms

“On this Mother’s Day, I cannot think of a better role model than my own mother, who has given so much to her family and cared for her two grandchildren with more love than I could ever know. She has always been my source of wisdom and the biggest support for my career. She is the reason that I strive each day to become a better person and be a good role model for my own children. I truly believe that a happy mom makes a happy family. My life would be a success if my kids grow up to be as happy as I am today!”

What I do at Uber 

“For most of my 3 years at Uber, I’ve been the Regional General Manager of Uber Eats for multiple markets in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Recently, I took on a new challenge to lead Community Operations for Delivery in EMEA.” 

How I balance parenting and career

“In general, I’m able to balance because my partner, Ivo, is very engaged. He does laundry, school runs, dentist appointments, and shuttling to various activities after school. I also outsource everything I can, so I can focus on what I can do better.

COVID has made everything harder while at the same time, it’s made some other things easier. I used to travel almost every week but now I’m home, taking calls in our closet or at the dining room table — depending on the noise level, with 2 boys in the house! Although I’m saving a ton of commuting time, at first I invested all that time back into work. I’m not sure I was the best parent during this time, as I was constantly working, or super tired and not that fun. 

In the last few months, I’ve pivoted toward being more intentional about carving out time for myself, and trying to separate my work time from my home time. It’s super hard for me, since my computer is so close and there is so much to do, but I’m trying. I’m taking more walks, trying to read more non-work stuff, and hanging out with the family. I’m also trying to put down my phone after hours — trying, but for sure failing a lot.”

How Uber supports me as a mom

“Even before COVID, Uber always gave me flexibility. I think most team members would agree. We’ve been working remotely as needed, and able to manage our schedules flexibly as long as we’re getting our projects done. This type of approach is super helpful for parents — I never felt bad to book off time for a school meeting, or a dentist appointment, or to work from home when my kids had a fever.” 

My Mother’s Day message to my fellow working moms 

“I’ve been so focused on starting into my new role, I didn’t even realize that Mother’s Day is upon us! I’m trying to do so much, and do it perfectly, for my kids – school lunches, sleepovers on the weekends, fun activities planned with friends to keep them happy, extra reading support (in Dutch) for our youngest. I want to feel like I’m giving them a really good childhood despite not being as available as I’d like to be. 

My advice to my fellow working moms, and to myself, is to relax a bit and celebrate all that you do, instead of noticing what is not done or not done perfectly. So what if the flowers we bought for the garden 4 weeks ago are now dying in the plastic pots we brought them home in? We had a great bike ride together to the tulip fields as a family last weekend and that was a much better investment of the time than gardening.”

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