When flex time isn’t an option
The literature regarding working parents is rife with references to tailoring one’s job using terms such as “flexible scheduling”, and, “work from home”, in order achieve the elusive work-life balance.
While I recognize that these types of arrangements cab be ideal for meeting the needs of employed parents, I can’t help but wonder if they are realistic for most people.
There are people who work in traditional places of employment, as well as those people who do shift work, where setting your own schedule, or, working from home just isn’t realistic.
You either work the job as it is stated, or, they’ll find someone who will.
It’s not that these employed parents just haven’t made the right proposal to the higher-ups, or, they haven’t made the proper demands of the work place, it’s just that they don’t have jobs that lend themselves to such strategies.
Do we alienate this part of our working parent community by elevating this type of arrangement the Holy Grail of balancing employment and family?
Just a thought as I try to discuss topics that appeal to all types of working parents.
I own a small business with my family in a small town. We are a service business which means when we open at 8:00 we can’t just shut the door whenever to make things work for us. We are here until 5pm period. I’ve had this comment said to me several times of why I’m not working a flex schedule or from home. It’s because my job is not one that can be done from home. We would have to hire and pay someone else to be here so basically I would not have a full time job. My job does atleast allow me to bring my daughter to work if I need to. Flex scheduling just doesn’t work for every job especially an 8-5 with only 4 employees job. But if anyone ever hears how to work only 2 days and take a 5 day weekend for the same amount of money please let me know.
I, too, cannot flex. I have to be here to answer the phone. I have to be here in case the President (of our division) comes by. We did have an issue with my husband. His place of employment picked up stakes and moved 15 miles further (about an hour further in traffic), and he could no longer pick up our kids before their facilities closed. So – he asked for a change of a half hour. Come in earlier and leave earlier. They said no. Wouldn’t even consider it. He ended up having to quit his job over it. It all worked out in the end, as he got a new job where they let him set his hours anywhere between 5am and 8pm. So now, he works 7-3:30, which is perfect for us. But I still can’t believe they were willing to lose their only local designer over a half an hour.
Now I feel guilty. I’m utlra-flexed. 6am to 3pm, except on Fridays when I work from home because I have to pick the kiddies up at 1:30. I am SOOOO lucky to have the employer I do.
My wife, however, cannot do this. because her job is to travel to people’s homes and care for them. And people do not like someone coming to their home at odd hours.
That is why as I am looking for a new job I will only work for a company and/or position that will allow for a flexible schedule. If I don’t have flex time it would be virtually impossible for me to manage everything on my plate and maintain any semblance of balance in my life – the stress would not be worth it – even for extra money.
I work from home and am, virtually, able to work my own hours, but it took me a long time and a lot of work to get here. I’m a freelance writer. As a way of earning a regular paycheck, I have two manufacturing companies for whom I write and revise newsletters, company and employee manuals, and any other types of writing they need done. As long as I meet their deadlines for the materials they need, I’m free to work on anything else. As I said, though, it took me a long time to get into this position. No job that I had working for anyone else was ever this flexible. I was a social worker, and you’d think that those types of jobs were a little more flexible, but none of the ones that I found in my area!
We have “flex-time” where I work – you must be there during “core hours” of 9 am and 4 pm, but we have to work 8 hours and take a full one-hour lunch. You also must work the same schedule every day – allowed to change only every 6 months. I am a research scientist, so it’s kind of hard to do experiments at home in the garage, but I have one co-worker that somehow manages to “work from home” one or two days a week – funny since her laptop is often sitting in her cube on those days… I do feel jealous of those people who can work from home or really work flexible hours, part time, or job share. I would gladly take a 25% pay cut (or even a little more) to only work 30 hours a week. Being salaried, I have to use paid-time off to take off an hour early to go to the doctor, but if I stay 3 hours late, I don’t get paid overtime or get comp time to save for another day.