The Working Mother’s Experience is something many of you live daily, but for EMC in Hopkinton it is the title of a new book meant to start a conversation. Thanks to the growing trend of social networking on places like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, conversations that were once taboo have been started by some  of the most innovative, creative, and excited women to grace the workplace.

Polly Pearson, VP of Global Marketing, Natalie Corridan-Gregg, Principal Product Manager and Lesley Ogrodnick, Public Relations are all members of the EMC team who were at the forefront. Pearson, a Holden native, and Corridan-Gregg met in the halls of EMC one day and shared a simple story of mothering.

“I had a baby after a long career with EMC. I didn’t go beyond the title of the person. Suddenly, while on maternity leave with my son, I had a perfect day; a powerful moment. I wrote it down. Then I told Polly that I was this crazy, cliché mom and we were suddenly connected by our stories,” Corridan-Gregg explained.

A short time later, Corridan-Gregg was invited to meet with an upper level manager and asked “what is the one thing EMC should do that we haven’t done?”

She answered, “we need to do a book that connects people, “and The Working Mother’s Experience” was born.

It is written by about 100 women EMCers, and one, single-working, EMC dad. According to Pearson, The stories come from 15 different countries.  Bulgaria, Spain, India, Ireland, Israel, and the United States among them. It is a glossy, 250-page, weighty-book-of-substance, filled with passion, heart and amazing insights.

“It’s easy to not talk about personal things with the pace of life being what it is, but we found it was cathartic for everyone to tell their stories. EMC is the biggest mom and pop shop you’ll ever work for so the project was handily approved,” she added.

Little did any of them know that the simple conversation would open dialogue around the world.

The level of passion and commitment these women show for their products and the people they manage is unmatched, according to many who work with them daily. The book is meant to spark a conversation. A series of essays from EMC women employees opens the door to the next generation of women finding more freedom in the workplace.

“It makes it okay to talk about the blend of family and work,” Corridan-Gregg said.

“Our lives are blending. Even today, both our personal and our business e-mail arrive in the same box,” Pearson added.

The goal of the book is to get folks talking, and it has.

One thread that ran throughout the essays was that of guilt. The writers, from around the world, all seemed to suffer from that affliction, according to their essays.

“You simply cannot get a group of women together and not get them talking. Whether a mom with four under seven, or a working mom with a new baby, we all have a story to tell,” said Corridan-Gregg.
The hope is that the book will help women to feel less guilt, a common theme throughout the essays.
“I think it’s societal. All women, no matter what they are doing, feel they are not doing enough,” Pearson explained.
“While our male counterparts understand as they have wives, moms, sisters and daughters, it hasn’t always been okay to talk about. Now my boss may be willing to tell me I have spit-up on my shirt collar whereas in the past, that would have been a taboo subject,” Corridan-Gregg added.

 “We have found that everyone in the company, and around the world, has viewed this as a chance to talk openly with one another regardless of title or rank or social norm. Even non-mothers want to be a part of the conversation,” Corridan-Gregg said.
Prior to becoming a mom, I saw other women as their titles, I never thought of them as whole people. I looked at Polly and saw the V.P. of global marketing, Lesley was PR, me, I was an engineer. I never peeled the layers and saw the whole women inside until I was a mom myself. The hope is that everyone will begin to peel the layers earlier now, and allow the next generation of women a new working environment,” Corridan-Gregg noted.

If Pearson’s 7-year-old daughter, Margo is any indication, the doors are already opening.  Pearson’s essay in the Working Mother’s Book notes that her daughter wishes not be King, or President or even famous, but simply – God.

Visit www.workingmothersexperience.com to learn more and participate in the blog.