The word 单位 in your sentence means 'workplace, work'. 妈妈去单位加班了---- Mother has gone (to her workplace) to work overtime. 单位 in this meaning is the organization(and its location) one works for(and works in).
It's the common case when Chinese learners see the word单位 , they tend to immediately associate it with the word 'unit' in their native languages, and this often creates trouble in getting to its real meaning in Chinese. Generally, the word 单位 in your sentence has no equivelent in foeign languages, or does not mean 'unit' as it seemingly does.
In China, a worker or employee has a particular social and legal relationship, different from that in other countries, with the organization they work for.