Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate motherhood and show appreciation for not only mothers but caregivers, from (great-) grandmothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, to mother figures. Being a role model and caregiver requires daily commitment and attention - regardless of gender – it requires courage, hard work, and perseverance through adversity. This Mother's Day, we celebrate ALL the people in our lives who have shown us how to be the best versions of ourselves.
At Carat, we understand that all our employees have a life outside the office, and we strive to be empathetic and understanding with each other as we navigate the flexible work model. We aim to ensure employees are empowered to bring their full selves to work. This includes supporting our parents in every we can, whether it be offering an extensive parental leave, caregiver leave, therapy, and specialist support in adoption and surrogacy to make parenthood accessible to all those that wish to partake in the journey.
Connection leads to empathy—and empathy leads to a better understanding of our people, our work, and our clients!
This Mother's Day, we are proud to highlight some of the caregivers at our agency who are the foundation for their families and have helped to build the foundation of Carat.
How has dentsu supported you as a working mother/parental figure?
Outside of their generous parental leave policy, giving me the flexibility to work from home and not commute every day has been a huge lifesaver as a new mom. Having an extra hour or two each day with my son is something I don’t take for granted.
- Megan Upah, VP Director, Digital & Programmatic
I continue to be amazed at the support I’ve gotten from the people I’ve worked with closely within dentsu since having my daughter almost 5 years ago. From Team Macy’s that threw me a surprise baby shower with a custom “Carat Intern” onesie, to the personal and professional support I received on Team Pfizer during the pandemic (especially when daycare shut down for months). I am truly grateful for the super-moms (and dads) I get to work with every day, and everyone else who puts up with hearing about my Pinterest fails or continued lack of sleep. Years ago, I thought I would have to choose between being home with my daughter or doing this job, but in today’s world dentsu has given me the flexibility to make that balance so much more manageable.
- Erika Lutz, VP Director, Strategy & Design
What is the biggest challenge/benefit to working from home and being a parental figure?
One of the biggest benefits of working from home is feeling like you’re fully immersed in your kids’ lives. Before, during the week, I felt I only had time to feed them and put them to sleep and needed to compensate as much as possible on the weekends. Now, by just saving on the commute time, I get to spend time on their extracurricular activities, I know their struggles with homework, and I enjoy talking about how their day went about before they completely forget or don’t want to talk about it anymore, among others. At the same time, it’s definitely a lot to handle, but very rewarding.
- Karla Faria, Director, Planning
I’m excited that my two young boys are able to watch me learn, grow and collaborate with my fellow coworkers at Carat. While being a working mother is trying at times, the biggest challenges come with the biggest rewards. I hope to instill a great work ethic, creativity, and eagerness to learn in my children through my work.
- Meghan Moore, Senior Manager, Digital & Programmatic
How does being a parent/role model for young children influence your leadership style?
I spent many years wearing late nights at the office and lots of hard work as a badge of honor. Being a parent has forced me to slow down and focus on work/life balance in a big way, which I strive to model for my team and others. I feel strongly that we are better – and happier – professionals when we have time to reset and manage our lives outside of work.
- Saranna Garunov, VP, Director, Digital