REAL MOMS OF THE METRO
ANDREA BRYANT IS DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE FOR KIMRAY INC. AND A MOM OF TWO. PHOTO BY LAURA ECKEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
Collateral damage The effect of the pandemic on working moms
“This has required redefining what it means to be a professional,” said Cave, who owns Employers Legal Resource Center, where she works with metro small businesses and nonprofits in her specialty of employment law. “Can’t you be a professional and also have kids? There is room for both to coexist.” But that doesn’t mean it’s not agonizingly difficult. Tanzeena Francka, a mom of three and a senior human resources business partner with Boeing in Oklahoma City, says navigating the pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges she’s experienced as a parent. But she’s been appreciative of her company’s flexibility and support, which has strengthened her professional commitment. “If I wasn’t with an employer this flexible, I’m not sure what my family would have done,” said Francka. “We are all really feeling the mom guilt, but I have appreciated knowing even though I have extra parenting responsibilities right now that it’s not limiting my opportunities at work.” Even as Francka is working with her team on initiatives like engaging employees working virtually to keep a sense of camaraderie and reinforcing the expectation with managers to make flexibility and understanding a priority, she’s also navigating her two older kids’ virtual school days. Shontrice Sharpe, human resources manager for the AGS Oklahoma City office, reminds her employees they must communicate their needs during
As an attorney and business owner, Christine Cave has always made a point to separate her professional and home lives. Enter the COVID-19 pandemic, and she found herself on a video chat with a client while her 3-year- old sat on her lap. In another situation, she negotiated the settlement of a case over the phone, punctuated by the noise of her kids playing in the background.
BY ERIN PAGE . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
20 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / DECEMBER 2020
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