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Working from home while the kids are at home? Learn how you can help support working parents to get the balancing act right.
Many of us are adjusting to a new routine due to coronavirus (COVID-19). With that comes the dilemma of working from home while kids are also home from school.
Although spending extra quality time with your kids and families can provide comfort during this uncertainty, it’s important to maintain structure while caring for loved ones and working from home. These tips can help your employees feel supported and stay productive while balancing both work and family at home.
Preparing your home environment & family for work
Maintain your usual work routine of setting an alarm, feeding the kids breakfast, getting ready for work and school and having a family dinner to close the day. Sticking to a regular daily schedule will help both you and your children adjust to these changes.
Productivity practices
Create both working time and a break for both you and the kids each day. Rewarding your children with a break together will help them to stick to this new routine. Plan an outdoor activity or participate in a virtual family workout to clear your mind and to boost productivity for the remainder of the workday. It’s important to stay active and to keep a work-life balance mentality when you’re working from home.
Learn how to balance kids and productivity in our webinar replay with Helpr.
Virtual activities
Without technology, working from home and continued learning for children wouldn’t be possible right now. Besides meetings and classroom discussions, technology also provides some amazing opportunities for fun activities and virtual hangouts. Host a virtual happy hour with your employees to discuss anything but work. Spread this idea to families and friend groups so they can host virtual playdates for their kids.
Adjusting to a new normal
As we adapt to a new work style, organisations should remember to be understanding of employees’ needs. To avoid interruptions, try implementing a few things such as ‘mute when not speaking’ on conference calls and allow employees to have flexible time when they’re helping the kids. Be supportive of your employees and be mindful of their mental wellbeing.