Kendra Scott Thinks No One Should Work The Day After Mother’s Day
The fashion mogul is giving all of her employees a day off for Mother’s Day and is urging other companies to follow suit.
For a lot of moms, Mother’s Day is just another day of obligations — and in too many cases, a big let down. Even when moms get the celebration they deserve, they still have to find the time to do their regular Sunday chores, and it’s not uncommon for moms to get breakfast in bed and then face the normal day of laundry, meal plans, and being everything to everybody.
Kendra Scott wants to change that. The fashion and jewelry entrepreneur announced this week that her company will give the day after Mother’s Day off their employees — and that they think other companies should do the same.
“Over the past year, parents have continued to feel the pandemic effects of balancing full-time jobs and caring for their families,” read the company’s statement. “It is reported that 40% of mothers have added 3+ hours of daily caregiving to their schedules. Recognizing that a mother can be defined in various ways, the corporate holiday aims to celebrate any supporting parental role and provide all employees with more time to spend with family, honor their own parental figures however they see fit, and take quality time for themselves.”
Amazing. And just think: women would have the day off while their kids are in school. Now this is sounding like a real holiday.
The company’s founder posted a more personal message on her Instagram page.
“As a working mother, I know how important it is to take the time to celebrate my children, my mother, and myself,” she posted, along with a picture of her and her youngest, Grey, as well as a picture of her and her own mom. “To be able to provide my team more time to do just that brings me indescribable joy and hope for the future.”
Kendra Scott retail stores and customer care teams working on Sunday, May 8th will be paid time and a half, and the corporate office and distribution center will be closed on Monday, May 9th in observance of the holiday. All 2,600 employees will receive these perks whether or not they’re a mom — about 95% of the company’s employees are women.
The announcement is part of an initiative called “Take The Time,” in which Kendra Scott employees are encouraged to take time for themselves and family when they need it. It’s already part of the company’s culture, which prioritizes flexibility for family life (whether you’re a mom or not).
Scott wants her employees to be comfortable taking time when they "need to pick up their children from school, attend a family function or catch that soccer game," she told Inc.
Scott is a mom to three kids herself — Cade, 20, Beck, 18, and Grey, 8 — and started her company out of her spare bedroom just months after her first son was born in 2002. Her brand is now worth an estimated $1 billion. She stepped down from the CEO position last year, but remains the Executive Chair and majority owner.
This is far from the first time Scott or Scott’s company has supported women’s causes and issues. Last year, the company launched the Kendra Scott Mother’s Day Personal Time Off Fund, which provided $2,000 each to 50 moms across the country — in addition to her ongoing Kendra Cares and Kendra Scott Gives Back programs. And Scott also launched the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at UT Austin in 2019.
