We’re days away from Christmas and probably winding down for the holidays. During the days leading up to Christmas, a lot of us are tying up loose ends at work or maybe doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. Some may be traveling or making travel arrangements to make it home for the holidays. Overall, it’s a busy week for all adults out there.
Do you know what else can compound the challenges of this mad rush to the holidays? Being a parent. Being a parent working from home is not at all easy. You have to contend with child care, online school arrangements, and internet use schedules. On top of that, you have to set rules for noise-free times. There’s also the challenge of sharing your workspace.
While a lot of us are still doing remote work or hybrid work, employers and colleagues alike should extend their support and understanding to Work From Home parents. Here are three ways to provide support for Work From Home parents:
Communicate.
Encourage Work From Home parents to be transparent about the challenges they are facing. They should not feel that they have to make up an excuse in order to be able to look after a child. Open lines of communication will enable the team to understand the situation and be able to fill the gaps at work. Transparency will enable teams to support each other and work around challenges.
Focus on output and not work hours.
Some companies mandate a traditional 8 to 5 schedule. However, if your company could offer flexible schedules, that would greatly help Work From Home parents. Flexible work schedules would give Work From Home parents the ability to take care of parental duties and still get their work done. One typical scenario is when a Work From Home parent has a child who is doing remote learning classes that normally happen during traditional work hours. A flexible schedule would enable a Work From Home parent to stop working during online classes and resume work after. You can offer this benefit to Work From Home parents under certain conditions like: work deliverables should be completed, and the 8 hours required have been fulfilled.
Create a “parents” group.
Creating a parents group can serve as a resource for Work From Home parents to share experiences, challenges, tips, and parenting hacks. It is where Work From Home parents can go for support and camaraderie. They can use this forum to get tips like where to get baby clothes or learning materials. They can get child care recommendations or even swap toys or old strollers and cribs.
No. This is not about Work From Home parents getting preferential treatment. This is about creating a supportive environment and an inclusive work culture. This trains teams to work around hurdles, work together, and be more agile. What are your Work From Home parenting tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!
Written by Jaie O. TheHelp