Parenting in the Pandemic: A Part-time Solution
Parenting in the Pandemic
Working parents are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. Childcare is limited, most school and extracurricular activities are online, and parents still need to work. It is physically impossible to be a teacher, child-care provider, coach, and employee full-time – at the same time. There are only 24 hours in a day, and depending on how old your children are, caring for them could be an 18-hour job. Parents are losing sleep and not feeling successful at any of their numerous jobs. Some parents are considering resigning from work.
A Part-time Solution
At some point, companies and employees need to realize this is untenable. My suggestion: instead of calling it quits, call it part-time.
Part-time schedules for many jobs could be a positive solution for both employers and employees during the pandemic. Employers could retain current talent, maintain morale, reduce costs, and avoid hiring and training new people. Employees would earn less money, at least temporarily, but they could keep their careers, have additional time to assist their children with school, and maintain some type of reasonably humane schedule. For their part, companies wouldn’t have to pay as many full-time salaries during the current economic slowdown. Admittedly this solution is better suited to jobs that can be done remotely, but it also could work for those that must be done on-site.
Before we head into the fall semester, I would suggest that employers seriously consider offering part-time schedules, and that employees ask for them. Healthcare and other benefits could be maintained at a minimum weekly hourly threshold, such as 30 hours a week.
My Part-time Work Experience
I have worked part-time for the past eight years since I became a mother. As a mother of a very active boy with health issues, my involvement level needed to be pretty high. Fortunately, I was able to adjust my work schedule based on what my son needed while still keeping my career. I earned less money than if I had remained a full-time employee, but I maintained my skills and professional relationships, continued making valuable contributions to my company, and helped support my family financially.
For the first six years I worked at The Ritz-Carlton Corporate Office as a director and senior manager of special projects out of the president’s office. I worked three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday, and made myself available as needed on Monday and Friday. This worked well for the job and for my son when he was young because I could spend full days with him when I was off. For the last two years, I worked as a consultant for the same boss and on the global rollout of a customer recognition program at Marriott International. I worked five days a week but left in time to pick my son up from school, as attending daycare after school was too much for him. This type of schedule also worked better for that particular position.
I was fortunate to have supportive bosses who were amenable to part-time work arrangements; I could not have done it without them, my husband, or my son’s trustworthy caregivers. My bosses were organized and respected my boundaries, which made the part-time arrangement feasible. That is not to say that things were never challenging. I remember working late at night and on vacations and taking business trips when I really needed to be at home. It was difficult, but we made it happen, and it benefitted both my family and my career.
“Instead of calling it quits, call it part-time.”
Earlier in my career, I saw the benefits of part-time schedules for both the hotel where I was a manager and its employees. For example, we had a seasoned employee who wanted to move to a reduced schedule. It was a great benefit to have backup when someone called out sick or during a busy period. The person was happy to keep their job but have more flexibility, and it made my job easier as a manager than if she had quit. It was a win-win situation for everyone.
More companies and employees should consider moving to part-time schedules to prepare for the return of online school this fall. I hope that my experience with part-time work can inspire others.
Hilary Kinney is the author of Project Management for Parents, a timeless book that provides resources for busy parents to streamline life at home. She is a certified Professional Project Manager with 17 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company.