Women OF TOWING BY
MICHELLE
SUKOW
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The Guilt Trip is Real:
Navigating the Highways of Mom Guilt, Work Guilt, and Everything In Between!
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avigating guilt as a business owner, dispatcher, or towing operator, especially during the busy seasons, can be challenging for anyone. The guilt of leaving work to go home can be just as intense as the guilt of leaving your loved ones to fulfill work obligations! Let’s be real. The towing industry can be brutal. It’s a 24/7 industry that never ends, and you can find yourself working in extreme and dangerous weather and road conditions at any time of the year. Long hours are the norm, and the guilt can last even longer. If you are reading this, then I am not telling you anything you do not already know. As I am writing this, Wisconsin has been hit for two weeks straight with snowstorms and then brutally cold sub-zero temperatures followed it. We have not seen weather like this in many years. I watched my guys get all excited for it and then watched them leave after exhaustion and crabbiness. It was hours longer than usual for everyone. No amount of planning gets you ready for this. I’ll be honest. I do not like it. I hate winter mostly because I do not like being cold. I do not like that it makes our jobs harder than they need to be. I do not like dangerous roads being even more dangerous for the operators 26
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working them. However, it is here, none-the-less, and no amount of dragging my feet, kicking, and screaming will do anything about it. We have all been working nonstop, and I feel tremendous guilt about the time I am missing with my family and loved ones. I am also feeling the guilt of leaving my teammates when everything is so busy at the shop. We hear the term “Mommy Guilt” all the time. It gets thrown around everywhere. But where is the “Daddy Guilt” or the “Spousal Guilt”? Moms are not the only ones to feel the pressures and the guilt of missing out on things. Men are just less likely to share how they feel about it but that does not mean that they are not experiencing it. How can the men and women in the towing industry navigate the guilt?
GIVE A NOD TO FAMILY TIME – where the real VIPs are! Recognizing the significance of family time is crucial in fostering a positive work environment and employee well-being. As a leader, it is important to acknowledge that employees have responsibilities and commitments outside of the workplace, particularly in their family lives. Encouraging a healthy work-life flow by valuing and respecting family time can lead to increased job
