Jennifer Walzer is founder and chief executive of Backup My Info!, which is based in New York. She’s also pregnant with her first child and writes an interesting post in The New York Times about how she is treated differently.
I don’t want to throw off the rhythm of office operations, and I’m pretty confident that technology will help keep that from happening. I have installed a Cisco Internet phone that plugs directly into my wireless router at home. It has the same phone number as my direct line in my office so if someone needs to reach me, I can answer the phone just as if I were sitting at my desk in the office (I probably will program it so that it rings my operations manager’s desk, too, so she can screen the calls).
If I need to connect with one of my employees, I just have to punch in the extension, and I will get right through to him or her. My biggest fears are less about connectivity and more about morale. I hope that I will be able to keep my team motivated and dedicated even if I am not there physically. When I went away for a month in January, everything seemed to run smoothly without me. I am hoping to experience the same result this time.
All of this preparation has left me pretty exhausted. With my Sept. 21 due date approaching, I know I should start relaxing. When I do go into the office, people keep asking, “Why are you here?” I almost feel guilty taking time off before the baby is born because I know how precious time will be after the birth. It seems that the drive that helped me start and build my company just doesn’t want to quit.
Photo by agastecheg .