Balancing Work and Home

I can't really call myself an expert, but I do have experience. I've been a technical writer for the last 15 years and I've been a mother for 7 of those years.

Some Background

At the beginning of my career, I used to accept any and every project, no matter what overtime was involved. I was anxious to prove my value, and get the promotions, raises and bonuses that came with hard work. Then I had my first child. The first thing I told my boss after returning to work from maternity leave was that I was not interested in working on projects that demanded a lot of overtime. You might think this was a serious career-limiting move, but I wasn't as interested in my career anymore.

I still wanted to work; I enjoy the challenge and mental stimulation of technical writing. Heck, I was simply happy to talk to adults and have 8 hours in which I wouldn't be interrupted by a baby. At least you can tell a grown-up to go away and come back later if it isn't urgent.

Career Woman and Working Mother

The difference between being a "career woman" and a "working mother" was that my priorities had changed. I still wanted to do a good job, but I wasn't willing to make it my life. So, the next challenge was to strike a balance between work and home. I freely admit that there are times when I wish I could spend more time at work, and there are times when I wish I could spend more time at home but, on the whole, I'm satisfied with my current situation.

Here's what I did.

Cleaning Service

A lot of what follows isn't in your control, but this is. You can stress out about keeping your house clean while you try to spend some time with your family, or you can just cough up the money and spend hours with your child instead of vacuuming. If you feel like you're shirking your housekeeping duties, don't worry; you still have to do the shopping, laundry, cooking, dishwashing and parenting.

30-hour Work Week

Okay, I couldn't do this if I were a single parent. We can depend on my husband's income to keep us in the lifestyle to which we are accustomed, so I can afford 75% of a salary. I also have to say, though, that we couldn't manage our lifestyle and he couldn't do his job if I had to work a 40-hour week. A shorter work day is one reason I can leave work in time to meet my children as they get off the school bus, then pay attention to my 7-year-old as she struggles through her homework. My husband can't usually leave the office that early.

You're probably wondering how I landed this deal. Well, I got lucky. I started working on contract for a small start-up company that couldn't afford a full-time writer, but needed one. They decided they'd like to keep me but would have trouble justifying a full-time technical writer. The 30-hour work week was a great compromise. I cost them less; they still have my services available on a regular basis; and I get full benefits (you're eligible for benefits if you work more than 20 hours a week).

Telecommuting

In spite of a cushy 30-hour job, there are still times when I can't make it into the office: one of the kids is sick, or the roads are bad, or someone has an appointment in the middle of the day. I live in Guelph and work in Waterloo, so sometimes it isn't worth the drive to be in the office for two or three hours. The option of working from home means I may still get in a 6-hour day even though I've had to spend two hours in a doctor's office.

I can VPN into the network and, except for large files, it's like I'm there. I have a laptop, so all my files and software are available. We have a home office, including a scanner and fax machine, so we can transmit paper. However, almost everything is done by e-mail or by dropping it on a shared temp directory.

The most useful gadget we have at home for telecommuting is a telephone headset. If I'm on a conference call or reviewing a document with a SME, I have two hands free to write things or type on the computer, and I don't get a crick in my neck.

Let's just be very clear about one thing. You cannot work from home and look after children at the same time. Maybe if they're mature enough to look after themselves, you can, but not when they're little and still need you to get them food and drinks and keep them entertained. Do not let anyone talk you into working from home and looking after perfectly healthy toddlers at the same time. When I'm home with a sick child, I can work if she sleeps a lot, but it's still tricky to get all 6 hours done during the day, which is where the next item comes in.

Flex Time

A 30-hour work week, telecommuting option and flex time? What more could a girl want? Well, there's one more thing...but I'll get to that next. Our office's core hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and that's when they'd like everyone to be available, if not present.

My normal office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and I carry a cell phone. Frequently, my husband's work demands that he be at work before 9:00, so I end up seeing the kids off in the morning. That means, I'm only in the office from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.. To make up the last hour, I might get up before the children and work from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m., or I might work after settling down my daughter with her homework, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., or I might wait until they've gone to bed and work from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Flex time gives me that luxury.

Understanding Manager

The final ingredient for balancing a home life with a work life is having an understanding manager. If the manager has one or more children, he is more likely to understand the demands that kids make on your life.

It's hard to imagine why a grown-up might need to sleep all morning unless you've been up with a sick child all night. A manager who has been there and done that knows that you can't always be in the office from 9:00 to 5:00, but you'll work every opportunity that you have; you'll also do more because you're grateful to have the chance to work when you have the time.

An understanding manager trusts you to get the job done, keep him informed, and be available when needed. Best of all, an understanding manager knows that a 30-hour work week is really 30 hours, not 40 hours at 75% of the pay.

How do you get all this?

Okay, I don't have a magic bullet for this. I was extremely lucky and it sort of fell in my lap. However, when they were wondering what to do with me when my contract ended, I did express interest in a not-full-time permanent position.

Sometimes, it's as simple as giving your employer the option. Also, I opted for a laptop instead of a desktop computer, making the telecommuting practical, and we've set up a home office for that reason, too.

With my reduced income, it seems frivolous to have a cleaning service but, for the amount of stress that it removes, it's worth every penny.

As for the telecommuting policy and the flex time, all I can say is that more companies are becoming enlightened and realize that if they want productive employees, they can provide these working environments at no extra cost. Just stay in touch (via e-mail) even when you're not in the office, and be willing to be flexible too, so that if there's a meeting you really have to attend, arrange for child care.

The whole situation makes me feel productive at work and yet lets me be a good parent. I only wish that more people had this option.

About Fei Min Lorente

Fei Min is back in the Waterloo area after graduating from UW and spending 10 years in Calgary. She is currently working at Dspfactory Ltd., running her own business called Articulated Concepts on the side, and happy to get involved in STC business after the dust settled from the Big Move. When she's not doing technical writing or family stuff, Fei Min fills in the spare minutes with scrap booking.

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