What am I doing wrong?
I’m a mother to a 16-month-old and also work full-time. My husband has a similarly demanding, high-stress job, so balancing career and family has been particularly challenging.
I’ve been with my current company for a little over two years and am hoping to be considered for a promotion in the next 5–6 months. However, the work environment has been increasingly difficult to navigate. While I do have the flexibility to work from home and only go into the office for key meetings, my role is externally facing, and I work within a relatively small team inside a very large organization.
Since expressing my interest in growth and promotion, I’ve felt a subtle but persistent increase in pressure. On one hand, the company presents itself as highly supportive and accommodating, especially toward returning mothers. On the other hand, every few days there seems to be an implied message that my efforts are falling short, accompanied by a general tone of disappointment. It’s become emotionally exhausting.
The situation is made harder by the fact that two key senior members of the team have left(due to the two leaders), and the remaining leadership has not provided the guidance or support needed to fill that gap. Also the only two leaders seem to pre discuss the conversation coming down to me. As a result m, performance expectations feel heightened, but without sufficient structure or understanding—especially for someone navigating the realities of being a working mother to a young child.
I’ve started wondering whether I should explore a switch, but the uncertainty around flexible work arrangements in the current job market makes that feel risky. At the same time, I’m unsure whether the best path is to simply put my head down, persevere, and hope things improve—or whether I should proactively try to change my current situation, without jeopardizing my role, growth prospects, or job security.
I’m trying to understand how to navigate this in a way that protects both my career ambitions and my well-being.
My MIL mostly stays with us for weeks together and has been a blessing as baby girl. She already takes so much off of my plate yet I feel I’m failing. Typing this out after a minor breakdown session.