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How are the working parents doing?
In two words: barely surviving.
If you don’t have kids, it’s hard to really grasp what life is like for your child-ed colleagues.
In two words: barely surviving.
If you don’t have kids, it’s hard to really grasp what life is like for your child-ed colleagues.
If you’re a child-free boss asking your employees how they are – like a good boss would -- and they’re saying ‘fine, thanks!’ and you’re thinking your job is done… you may want to dig a little deeper.
I asked some parents, and this is what they said about combining work and childcare.
Here’s what might REALLY be going on:
Here’s what might REALLY be going on:
· “My wife& #39;s largely taking leave right now but that& #39;s just rough as it& #39;s not like the kids can go outside much or interact with others. This isn& #39;t ‘fun time with the kids’ or normal childcare…. It& #39;s time with the kids with limited space and NO OTHER PEOPLE to interact with
physically. She has to do ALL the social interaction which is full on. And anyway, her annual leave will run out – and then what? Split days? I’m really worried. My neighbours are doing 6am-12pm /12noon-6pm each and working evenings, and they’re so exhausted.”
“I feel so guilty. My son has gotten way more screen time than he is normally allowed because my husband and I have both been flat out with work. I know I& #39;m not doing writing and phonics as much as I should be but I just don& #39;t have time. This is fine for a couple of weeks, but
in the long term it will actually have impact the development of core skills so this needs to change. There is also a lot more cooking to do - nursery did breakfast, lunch and dinner so that is a big change for us. In general I would describe the last few weeks as & #39;relentless’.”
"Work is insane and then when I can look away from my laptop it is to try and do something for my under-stimulated 3 year old. Many days I don’t get a chance to eat lunch because of that. (My diet’s terrible because I’m snacking on crap)."
"In one word: exhausting. You don& #39;t have time to do anything but work, cook and do child care."
"I see Slack messages from people looking for new hobbies because they& #39;re bored, and I honestly haven& #39;t picked up the remote for the last 2 weeks (unless it& #39;s to put on Peppa Pig so I can finish some work and feel never-ending guilt about it).”
“With an almost three year old it& #39;s simply not possible to do proper work when she& #39;s around. If I opened my laptop she would just close it or try and use it herself, and even if she let me use it I can& #39;t imagine being able to really use my brain with her running around or
shouting or watching Hey Duggee! This means me and my husband are both trying to fit in our hours whilst taking it in turns to look after her which simply isn& #39;t possible."
"As I& #39;m sure is the case in a lot of relationships, one of us earns more than the other or has a job that is more demanding and the job that pays more ends up taking priority and that isn& #39;t really fair on the other person. I know a fair few people in this situation.”
“It’s just exhausting. I see all these posts about new hobbies and could only dream of even being able to read a few pages of a book.”
“It’s having a big impact on my confidence and how secure I feel in work and as a parent actually as I feel like I& #39;m doing a bad job at both. Particularly when it can feel like you& #39;re being compared to colleagues without kids.”
“I think a lot of couples will get to a point where one of them gives up work temporarily. Both doing a bad job part-time just isn& #39;t sustainable. Companies could end up losing great employees for a period of time (and unfortunately I& #39;d bet in most cases this will be the woman).”
Me again now.... Exhausted - relentless - guilty - scared. As a boss or a business – please be mindful and understanding of the incredible, unprecedented stress that your working parents are currently under.
