WomenPower at home and in the office

MARCH IS definitely one of busiest but exciting months of the year. While some are preparing for their respective much-deserved vacation and many activities like school graduation and holy week traditions, others engage in skills development programs from culinary and art classes to personality and career-related courses for a more fruitful summer break.

But we should not forget that in the midst of the festivities and madness that the hot air of summer gives, March is celebrated as the "Women's Role in History Month" as per Proclamation no. 227 signed in 1988 by then-President Corazon C. Aquino. Stated in the said resolution that "Filipino women have played and continued to play a critical economic, cultural, political, and social role in every sphere of our nation's life by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working in and outside of the home; and have played a unique and meaningful role throughout our history by providing the majority of the nation's volunteer force and have been particularly important in the establishment to early charitable, philanthropic, cultural, and political institutions in the country…"

Thus, let us show our appreciation to the greatest women in our lives. It can be your girlfriend, lady boss, sister, wife or your mom who through the years have been a source of inspiration and pride. Based on the most recent Labor Force Survey (LFS) released by the Philippine Commission on Women in October 2013, female employment was estimated at 14.8 million compared to 22.9 million males.

And in that almost 15M mark of employed women, many of them still carry out household duties for their families. These are our working moms, single mothers, sisters who serve as the bread winner of families and aunts who pay for the tuition fees of their niece and nephews. On weekends, they are the one who cooks our favorite sinigang or kare-kare, wash and iron our clothes and help the little ones finish their home works. You can call them super girls or wonder women but one thing's for sure, it takes great skills and time management to handle such challenges. I asked some working women this question: "How do you effectively perform your duties at home and in the office?"

Below are their answers that can serve as tips and inspiration to soon-to-be or fellow career women who sometimes show up at work with milk stains on their blouses or a grocery list in their purse. Let's give them a big round of applause while saying, "Job well done!"

Melanie Cortez Abuel, Engineer. I'd like to share that I use a Kanban board to organize to-dos, work in progress (WIP) and the accomplished task.

Alaine-Yambot-Alejandrino, Business Analyst. The key is time management. I allot time for everything and I stick to it. I work whenever it is time to work so I can go home when I have to. My career doesn't have to intervene with my wife duties.

Haydee Centeno, Operations Unit Manager. 6am to 3pm, which is my shift, is focused on work. That's also the time when my son is usually at school (except during summer vacation). Being in the BPO is also an advantage as I'm not really limited to the 8am-5pm or 9am-6pm shift. I organize and manage my time at work so I could leave early.

Abegaile Vencer-Flores, Senior Events Producer. I plan ahead for daily and weekly activities, categorize by priority and put a time schedule on each item. I separate the daily and weekly activities but I start my day by praying and reading the bible because it helps me follow my daily sked especially now

that somehow I am playing as a mom-teacher to my niece and nephew as they are homeschooled and my sister passed away 2 weeks ago. I do check their homework at night.

Babylyn Francisco, Insurance Company Supervisor. For me, time management is very effective. Since I need to balance my work and my duties as a wife, a mother and a career woman.

Maria Donna Ysabel Javier, Project Manager for a US company. My current home-based job is such a blessing since I don't have to waste too much time prepping up for work and travelling to and from work. Although its more convenient it can be challenging at times but proper time management, knowing what to prioritize plus rewarding myself from time to time makes everything easier and manageable. Work life balance is still the key.

Christian Melanie Lee, Managing Director. Having a well-balance schedule despite of my workload everyday. I always see to it that I can manage a lot of stuff from managing projects and meetings.

Cristal Maramag, Digital Officer. I always make a list all my task that needs to be done. I also see to it to finish my work load on time so I can still perform extra activities or more than the usual at home or at work. Bottomline, it's time management.

Maria Roxanne Nicolas, Technical Project Assistant. Always be organized and have an activity plan. I work from 8-5 then I do online work at home. During weekends I usually attend workshops and blog related events. It helps a lot when you're organized.

Anabelle Perez, Project Manager. Even though I work from home, my schedule tends to get crazy mainly because of the responsibility that I have in the company. I see to it that my schedule everyday is organized

which is why I have 2 different planners - 1 for work and 1 for personal. This helps me ensure that I won't get overwhelmed because if I see them in 1 whole to do list, I'll definitely have a melt down! Once I get rid of work tasks, I take a rest and do house chores. I also see to it I take a break from time to time, to relax and re-energize. One advantage of working from home is that I can travel while working so that helps me a lot in ensuring I won't get stressed out, making me efficient and effective both at work and at home.

MeanneRillon, Plant OIC / HR Officer. At home, we should know how to schedule our time for the family such as bonding, occasions to be celebrated, and events at the school of your children. In the office, prioritize work with deadlines. Set meetings on a non-busy day & prepare all agendas to be discussed. Make it sure that no work to be done at home and your night should be given to your partner for an extra curricular activity.

Sara Trenuela, Media Relations Officer. I take advantage of the available technology to help me do work easily and efficiently like mobile phone apps. Example, Uber or Grab which provides dependable car services. I can still do some task at home while waiting for my ride. Also, having a dependable "yaya" or nanny for my kids gives me an extra hand accomplished all my daily duties and responsibilities.

Happy Women's Month to all working Filipinas around the world!

Richard H. Mamuyac is the Communications Specialist of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), the premier organization of People Managers and HR Practitioners in the country today. For news, updates and information on PMAP, please visit www.pmap.org.ph or like the PMAP Facebook fanpage www.facebook.com/PMAP1956.