We all know that being a mom in itself is a full-time job from sunup to sundown. Add a career into the mix, and it’s nothing short of a miracle how some women are able to pull it off with only 24 hours in a day, while making it all look easy. But as if that were not enough, right now most of us are working under conditions where we’re not only balancing work and home life, we’ve also had to take on remote learning for our children and many more distractions as a result of schools being closed, and stay-at-home orders in place. With Mother’s Day upon us, we thought it would be fun to take a moment with some of the mothers here at Atrium and get an inside look at what working from home – quarantined with kids edition – is really like.
Laura Koch
Laura is in sales and has worked from home since her sons, aged 14 and 16, were born.
What would your kids say you do for a living?
My kids are teenagers, and well, it’s hard to say what they really think — they would need to come out of their rooms! They are very interested in our Atrium customers – mostly with a “what’s in it for me?” mindset: Disney passes? Hulu subscription? They try to pitch me on needing to be a “customer of my customers” to really understand the company. Maybe my kids should go into sales?!
Laurie Rugemer
Laurie is a Data Scientist currently working on a project for an education client. Her daughters are 8 and 10 years old.
What do you like most about working at Atrium as a mom?
The flexibility of working at home and being there to support my kids means so much to me. There’s also a huge benefit to them getting a first-hand look at what my job is like, in case they decide to pursue STEM careers of their own someday.
Tammy Vierkant
Tammy is our Director of Recruiting & Talent Management and is a mom to two little girls, aged 3 and 6.
Tell us a funny or embarrassing story around working from home with your kids recently.
Oh gosh… this one stands out. I was on a video call with some coworkers recently, and my youngest daughter came running into my office completely naked screaming, “I’m a naked baby!” We all had a well-needed laugh that day!
Vivian Javier
Vivian has two sons, aged 17 and 19. She works as Development Lead on the Mobile API team for one of Atrium’s largest customers.
What would you say is the most challenging part of working from home?
With the whole family at home nowadays, I’d have to say lots of noise…and toilet flushing in the background during my meetings. (Do I need to elaborate?!)
Bridgette Brown
Bridgette is a Client Engagement Lead and mom to 15-year-old twin sons, a 21-year-old daughter, a 19-year-old daughter, and a 2-year-old granddaughter.
What are you most looking forward to once things get back to normal?
I can’t believe I am saying this… but TRAVEL. I try to limit my travel to only those engagements that require in-person experiences to be effective. But I do miss traveling to meet with prospects and engaging with my team in person.
Charmaine Burtak
Charmaine is mom to an 11-year-old daughter and works as an Analytics Architecture Lead for a utility client at Atrium.
What advice would you give other moms on how to balance it all?
Set expectations on work hours and teach your kids to respect it. Outside of that, it’s their time. Have lunch with them. As soon as 4 or 5pm rolls around, give them a big hug, be present for them, and dedicate a good portion of your evenings to quality time together. And don’t forget to take some time for yourself, too!
Thank you, Atrium moms, for sharing some of your behind-the-scenes stories and words of wisdom! We see the many roles you juggle — seemingly with ease, and appreciate the hard work and dedication you provide in all you do for our team, our customers, and your families.
Hats off to all the working moms out there this Mother’s Day, and every day! To learn more about what these rock star moms do here at Atrium, make sure to follow us on social.