Why flexible work for parents is crucial during school holidays

Struggling to balance work and school holidays? Flexible work for parents can play a crucial role.

It’s that time of year again when the mid-year school holidays have commenced in most Australian states. But of course, the number of holidays children get from school usually outstrips the amount of annual leave parents receive.

It’s a juggling act most working parents will have experienced.

In most workplaces, not everyone can take leave at the same time. Therefore, even if you have sufficient annual leave, you may still be unable to use your annual leave school holidays.

So, how do you balance work with caring for your kids?

Take advantage of flexible work for parents

Many parents will take advantage of flexible working arrangements during the school holidays. These include:

• Working from home: If your employer allows you to work from home, this can reduce reliance on paid-care, grandparents or other family members during the school holidays. If you can’t work from home, bringing your children with you to work is another option.
• Flexible working hours: Some people are lucky enough to have workplaces that allow flexible working hours. This means they can get some of their work done early in the morning or late at night when children are asleep. Alternatively, you might be able to work more hours on one day and less the next.
• Shift work: If you work in a profession such as nursing or the police force you could consider working night shifts during the school holidays. This allows you to have quality time with your family at home during the day.

Taking advantage of flexible working arrangements allows you to be strategic with your annual leave and use it when your partner also has leave or when you are able to go away as a family.

If you have long service leave, you could also consider using this to allow you to spend more time with your family.

How to deal with children when working from home

Of course, working from home while looking after children can bring with it many challenges. Some strategies to address this include:

Keep them informed

Write your to-do list on a whiteboard next to your desk. That informs your family that you are busy and gives them an idea of what you are doing.

Set boundaries

It’s also important to set clear boundaries. For example, you can make note of particular times of day you cannot be interrupted. This might be when you are responding to an urgent work call or attending an important work meeting.

On the other hand, you can set aside time during your lunch break to address their needs.

Keep them occupied

Keeping children occupied can also be a challenge. It can be tempting to just put them in front of a screen all day. However, one way to keep them occupied is to create a list of ten things they have to do before they turn on a screen. The list could include things like getting dressed, eating breakfast, and brushing their teeth.

A challenge faced by many

Juggling work and school holidays is a challenge faced by many parents. So remember, if you find yourself in this situation you are not alone.

Many public service positions offer flexible working hours, making the public service an ideal profession for working parents. If you are seeking a career in the public service, Public Service Resumes can assist. We offer various services, including expert resume writing and selection criteria writing.