Handling your corporate work as a working parent

In the current society, it's common for both parents to be in the working force. Being a working parent can be very stressful both emotionally and physically, especially when your child is unwell.

You will most probably be at work worrying about your child's condition while be in a rush to cover duties at work in order to hurry home and into your child's arms. In order to have a balance between work and your family, you can make a couple of strategize steps stated below.

Acknowledge and be prepared

Studies shows that small children tend to get the cold and viruses 8-10 times per year, thus you have to acknowledge that your child might be ill on an average of once per month or two.

Be prepared, have someone on standby mode to be ready to take care of the kids, be it a babysitter, your spouse or even your relatives. The more realistic your plan is, the easier to handle the situation when it occurs.

Notify beforehand

Let your employer and colleagues be aware of the kind of flexibility you would be requiring, for example "if your child is ill, your babysitter would only be available till 2pm, and you would be required to cover their shift after, will have to work from home and only be contactable via mobile." Make sure that the company is comfortable and supportive with your arrangement in order to ensure that everything at work is not delayed.

Be in Control

Plan your backup plan ahead of time and make sure that all aspects of the plan is working to avoid any last-minute hiccups. Ensure that your caretaker knows what he/she is supposed to do and what not to, from the type of medicine to be taken to the special cases like allergies. In the case if you are the caretaker and has to work from home, make sure that you have access to all your resources needed when you are out of the office. It's also good if you could prepare a bag of your child's necessities to be ready to hand them over to your caretaker when needed.

Plan your finances

The cost incurred for childcare is high and can be taxing to a household. List down the things that you might be paying for during a situation and start allocating funds into an "emergency fund" so that you do not have to worry about the finances when the time comes.

Gather support from your company

If you will be working from home, make sure that you are not misusing the goodwill of your company. Ensure that you are still contactable and responsive on email and calls even though you have to factor in the time to look after your child as well. If your child is down with a health issue that requires longer recovery period, notify your company immediately in order for them to have ample time to make suitable arrangement for you.

Make your child feel better

Your child is already feeling grumpy and irritated when they are unwell, do not show them that you are also annoyed by the situation. Assure them by letting them feel that daddy/mommy has everything under control, or at least that you are doing your best in the situation. Making a big fuss out of the situation will only make the situation worst and always remember the reason of working is to provide for your love ones, keeping the situation all in control will benefit both your family and the company that you are working for in the long run.

Keeping Today’s Employees Engaged at Work

Given the ever-changing employment landscape and the demands from employees to enjoy work-life balance. Employees want to feel connected to work, yet want to have their personal time and space away from work as well. How can you strike a good balance between both? There is no one best way but good to work out something that works best for the company culture and environment.

Value the Opinions and Feedback

It is natural that employees want their voices heard by the management or the bosses. Some opinions or ideas given may be a little overboard or unrealistic in the present moment but never shove off any employee’s feedback right away. Always give them the perception that you will consider it, but never expect the turnaround of the opinions or ideas to be taken in immediately or even execute them!

Option to Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA)

FWA is one of the ways to allow employees to feel that they have the autonomy to decide and plan their schedule well. This can help them in fulfilling their personal commitments, for example, bringing kids to school early in the morning, and cutting through or if possible, avoid the traffic jams to get to work. They will be glad to commit the hours required but at a different time from others than to rush their mornings away. Other ways are also to offer options to work from home, hot-desking.

Don’t create tension unknowingly

Allow employees to be themselves at work and encouraged them to behave like their usual self. Some employers or bosses have a certain level of expectations that employees must behave in a certain manner which makes them feel uneasy at work. However, do you know that giving employees autonomy will make them feel that you trust them in their work? They will eventually portray a positive attitude towards work and will be more than willing to put it that extra effort unknowingly. Never limit your employees’ capabilities and creativities at work!

Don’t Create Fear in Failure

This is the key thing that people back-off after they faced with setbacks, people fear failure. It would be nice and consoling if employees are given an environment to learn and make mistakes. But of course, mistakes should be moderate. Employees can make mistakes and must quickly manage it together and not leave it hanging. Sense of fear will decrease as employees are given ownership, power to make decisions. Always remember that any mistakes made should not be accompanied with harsh criticism or demerits, everyone is learning on the go!

3 Signs That Your Work-Life Balance Is Working Out

There is a lot of stress on the importance of achieving work-life balance, especially for those who are in hectic office hour jobs, required at their desks from 9 to 5, and on their phones around the clock. Technology not only made it easier for work to be completed, it also opened up modes of communication that currently allow employers to reach their employees instantly, on a 24 hour basis.

What is a good work-life balance?

It is when work is contained during specific working hours, in the right environment at a comfortable, manageable pace, and other aspects of life — such as family, friends and personal well being – are paid attention to and properly prioritized. While it may be getting harder to maintain such an ideal lifestyle, here are some markers to see if the current work-life balance arrangement is working out:

NO EMAILS, CALLS AND MESSAGES AFTER

Step away from the constant bombardment of emails, calls and messages from work. If this step is hard for you, then there is still a lot more to be done in order to maintain a proper balance between work and life. Leave work at work, and learn to let go of your availability around the clock.

Yes, it feels really good to be indispensable. But time is something that cannot be earned back, no matter how much work you try to fit into it. Do not make the mistake of giving it all up for a speedy email reply or a 4am Whatsapp message from your boss. Instead, make the intelligent choice of investing a significant portion of it on yourself in order to better your quality of living for better work productivity.

MAKE YOUR OWN RULES

Following the rules may be crucial in the society’s guidebook, but sometimes, breaking out of these rigid standards are a good way to measure how much you rely on them previously. There is a shift in the way things are being done in the workforce today, and one of the ways to adapt to them are to make your own set of rules and go ahead with it.

For example, working at home is a great way to maintain a healthy work-life balance. On one hand, you are able to maximize the time spent between work and home and/or family, and on the other, increase the time divided among the two to ensure that nothing is left behind on the schedule. Instead of worrying about showing up at the office, concentrate on producing quality work.

RETIREMENT IS ALREADY ON YOUR MIND

It is important to have a backup plan, and a plan worked on from young is one that is bound to repay at a later date.

This will also help to determine what exactly is the goal of the everyday work. There is no point in working everyday when it is just to survive, instead, concentrate on what makes you special, such as hobbies and quirks, and find a way to infuse it into work. People who have set hobbies or pastimes will also be able to release stress better, ensuring a better work-life balance overall.

Leave Work at Work

No matter how hard you work, the truth is… you will never get a chance to leave work with all items on the checklist cleared. There will be work left undone. Ticking all your items on the checklist also does not necessarily make you a good employee. 

An overworked employee is more likely to make mistakes in her deliverables. You should remind yourself to leave work behind, keep your mind clear. You still got another day to settle the remaining work. Your quality of work would less likely be compromised when you are afresh and energetic to tackle what is ahead.

This is how you separate work from your rest time. Yes, at CVista HR, we are teaching you how to rest.

Keep the music on when commuting back home

Keep the music playing and do something that makes you really relaxed. Sing softly if you have a really nice voice or keep the melody going in your head if you don’t sound nice. Keep the journey back home enjoyable for both you and other commuters.

Try not to rush home

This is a little bit more challenging with everyone rushing to get home. Give yourself time, and let others squeeze as much as they want into the already packed train. You don’t have to – because you have the time. Do not have to be influenced and be one of the many sardines. This helps you relax, then feel frustrated when people are cutting your queue. If you have not been gracious the whole day, this is a good time to start!

“Work Hard, Play Hard”

Overused phrase – but it is true. If you have already left work, please do not think about work and think of the areas where you have not performed today. You will not be paid Overtime
anyways.

Draw a line between work and play distinctively. This helps you in getting recharged for the work tomorrow. Think about the drama 9pm show you’ll be watching later!  

You should connect with yourself and your friends and families. Not with work because it affects your emotions negatively. You don’t want to be a snapping alligator when you are back home, and neither do you want to be judged when you yell at aggressive commuters (or get STOMPED!)

Just simply, enjoy life and be thankful for all that you have. That’s your responsibility until you begin your next day at work again.