It's working for Leah S.
Austin, TX
2 children
I hate that when they may be needing me and are feeling the stress of our world, they may come to my home office door and hear me on the phone and turn and walk away. It is hard to be present and "on" for everyone but they are my priority.
Which of the following are you trying to fit with your job/career? ________________________________________________________________________
Caring for middle school age children (~11-14 years)How has COVID-19 impacted your job/work responsibilities? How has it impacted your responsibility to care for your family?
My job has gotten more demanding as well as I am in constant demand to help the kids with distance learning. I have less time and more responsibilities and requests.Was there ever a time when you felt there was an unspoken barrier or preconceived notion that interfered with your job or career? Please share.
All the time. If I need to be present for my kids appointments, school needs or even emotions, it is viewed as not being committed at work- not so much in my current job but historically.What is one thing you wish your employer understood about you and your life?
Because of school being at home, I am always on as a mom. "Focused time to work" does not exist anymore.
If you could change one thing about your job to make it easier for you to fit work with your other professional, educational, or caregiver responsibilities, what would it be?
Not judge performance by pre-covid standards. I simply can not get the same amount of work done anymore.What is something your employer has done well to make it easier to fit work with your other professional, educational, or caregiver responsibilities?
No changes to hours but there is an increase in empathy.Of all your professional, educational, or caregiver responsibilities, which creates the most stress with your job/career? Please share why?
Missing the emotional social needs of my children. I hate that when they may be needing me and are feeling the stress of our world, they may come to my home office door and hear me on the phone and turn and walk away. It is hard to be present and "on" for everyone but they are my priority.
Thinking about fitting your job/career with your professional, educational, or caregiver responsibilities, is there anything that used to be manageable that no longer is? Is there anything that used to be able to count on, that you no longer can?
There use to be an end to the work day. Now since everyone is online, it seems the norm to get communications at all hours of the day. There does not even feel like a lunch hour break anymore. So it's harder to give my children guidelines on when to ask for my attention. Simply, the card ride home from school was a sacred time to help my kids decompress and update me on their exciting moments of the day. There is no longer these natural transitions in our day and therefore they feel they are interrupting rather than communicating.