Work From Home Mums Blog – Resources, Return To Work Advice, Online Business Ideas

Readers Question: If I return to work, and my boss is amenable to the idea, how does one juggle working from home with a baby? My baby seems to take up my whole day anyway, so when do I find time to “work” in there as well as look after him? Does it really work when my baby is at an age where he can’t entertain himself?

Answer: Working from home can work when you have children of any age. What it really comes down to is the different abilities of the individual to juggle all the balls in their own lives. We all have different factors in our lives, and working from home is not for everyone. It is hard work and requires some strategies to make it work.

Firstly it is important to discuss your employer’s expectations. Some employers require set hours while others are happy for the work to be completed at a time that suits you so long as it meets a deadline. Discussing your plans with your partner is also important as it will effect them by way of extra housework help, or caring for the children if you work in the evenings etc.

Other considerations are; whether someone can offer childcare, how many hours do you have available to work each week (i.e.: when baby is sleeping, evenings), type of work you would be doing (phone work requires quiet, while being a forum moderator doesn’t have the same necessity).

Ultimately, stay true to yourself and don’t over commit yourself. Develop some strategies to help you in an emergency for example; personally when I am on an important phone call and B2 decides he is going to cry, I open the door to B1′s bedroom and let him play in big brother room for the 5 or 10 minutes I need. It really comes down to what works for you. I hope you gain some clarity about your plans for the future.

Leigh

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Reader Question: I returned to work two weeks ago with my 15 week old baby. I am very lucky as my employees have allowed my baby to come to work with me each day. Just wondering about worker’s compensation and the legal side of things?

Answer: According to Workcover NSW, if an employers provides you with permission to have a dependant on site with you in their workplace, the employer has a “duty of care” to all employees and anybody else in the workplace, this includes dependants. The employer needs to conduct a “risk assessment” of the work place to identify potential hazards to all people on site and develop a plan of how they will address those hazards. They need to ensure the environment is free of identifiable hazards. Your employer would also be wise to consider their own legal liabilities by speaking with their lawyer.

In my opinion, talk to your employer and openly discuss these points and any other issues you may have, after all you have to protect your child’s interests and get the job done.

I hope this helps.

Leigh

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Technorati Tags: babies, flexible work arrangements, return to work, work cover