Working Mummies Support Group

[AnyDream]

Wysiwyg, that's weird about the childcare thing. One of the specifications in the work from home policy at my work is that you are *not* to try to combine any substantial caring duties with working from home. Yeah, maybe ok for an hour or two, or if you had an older child who was lying around watching telly, but not for whole days at a time with small children - that's what personal/carers leave is for.

[wysiwyg]

Wysiwyg, that's weird about the childcare thing. One of the specifications in the work from home policy at my work is that you are *not* to try to combine any substantial caring duties with working from home. Yeah, maybe ok for an hour or two, or if you had an older child who was lying around watching telly, but not for whole days at a time with small children - that's what personal/carers leave is for.

All of that pretty much goes out the window when contracting, even when I have worked as a permanent employee for large organizations that have HR policies on working from home, although the policies have been similar to what is stated above about if you want to have "working from home days" in your employment terms, when it comes down to it there is an expectation of work, it is all unofficial of course but the type of roles I have worked in on projects with deadlines etc. you end up digging a big hole for yourself if you can't work because is not like someone else does it while you are not there, it is all just there for you when you get back and the deadlines don't change either.

Email back from colleague today - trying to be sympathetic I think about DD school sores said "I remember those days when my kids were small, my wife had to quit her job to take care of them"

I so need to get out of this line of work, just stop fighting it and find something else.

[wysiwyg]

About to go meet someone for a coffee/chat/interview about a job for after this contract, fingers crossed I suspect the travel requirements will be too much but you never know.

[Mumma T]

About to go meet someone for a coffee/chat/interview about a job for after this contract, fingers crossed I suspect the travel requirements will be too much but you never know.

Good luck, I hope it's your perfect job

[Cally]

wysiwyg - good luck with the interview. I also noticed Elk Accessories are looking for someone on their Facebook page who has logistics experience - they're in Melbourne.

[wysiwyg]

Thanks, it went well - we shall see if anything comes of it, although there didn't sound like too much travel - it did sound like they might need someone who can be more flexible with their time depending on what client they are working with. I think the woman I spoke with would like to give me a job but just depends if right opportunity comes up. Is always a problem with organisations that ship you out to work for clients in that they have to meet their clients 'wants' rather than allowing for their employees to have lives :-)

The Elk thing is interesting, I would quite like to do something like that but I only have experience in deploying IT systems to help people do those activities rather than the actual activities (and sounds like Elk don't use SAP which might have got me somewhere with them). I have applied for similar before but because of the strange way the SAP world is - the IT skills are valued much higher than the actual business skills (in my opinion the wrong way round) - so people don't believe you really want to go 'backwards' into this type of role, and think you only want a stop gap.

[MummyNaomi]

Wysiwyg, that's weird about the childcare thing. One of the specifications in the work from home policy at my work is that you are *not* to try to combine any substantial caring duties with working from home. Yeah, maybe ok for an hour or two, or if you had an older child who was lying around watching telly, but not for whole days at a time with small children - that's what personal/carers leave is for.

Interesting. I work from home 1 day a week. DD (20months) is with me and DS is at school, so I duck out for the school run also. My boss and workplace are fine with it. I generally get 5-6hrs of work done and the rest I make up by starting early/having a working lunch break so do at least my minimum hours, usually more. I really think workplaces need to be realistic and support work/life/family. As long as your overall productivity is not impacted and your are performing well then there is no reason employees cant juggle both. There is so much productivity lost in the workplace while people gossip, catch up and have extended breaks (however good it is for 'networking' hehehehe)

[Joeve]

I work full time but have a fair amount of flexibility. I work from home 3 days a week.
I am gone 13 hours on the days I go to the office, and it's hard because it's such a long day.
I do feel lucky to have flexibility but I'm about to join a global call at 10pm which makes me feel very unlucky lol

[peanutter]

I hope it's great news, wysiwyg !!

[wysiwyg]

I work full time but have a fair amount of flexibility. I work from home 3 days a week.
I am gone 13 hours on the days I go to the office, and it's hard because it's such a long day.
I do feel lucky to have flexibility but I'm about to join a global call at 10pm which makes me feel very unlucky lol

Similar here I am just finishing up working with India. To most companies I think flexibility means you work when they want you to, and if you need to take an inch like leaving early to make childcare pickup then they take a mile in terms of all sorts of out of hours work. I actually don't really want flexibility - I would far prefer that I just had to work during set work hours only - after all with childcare I don't have any flexibility around days etc and you pay a full day whatever they stay for - I prefer a clear demarcation between work and home.

MN - I really am amazed you can do so much work with your DD at home - I don't think I would get anywhere near that done with DS at home. DD when I had to stay home with her I managed maybe about 5 hours but she watched a lot of TV. I think companies need to be more flexible, but also realize that not all jobs are possible while looking after children and that is also very dependent on the child as well.

[Joeve]

I would agreed about the flexibility thing in previous roles but I work for a great employer so my experience is a good one
The night calls are a pain but I chose how I make back the inconvenience

[Frangipani Lou]

Good luck wysiwyg.

I work reasonably set hours but my brain doesn't know this and wants to think about work lots!

[wysiwyg]

Good luck wysiwyg.

I work reasonably set hours but my brain doesn't know this and wants to think about work lots!

FL - have you always been like that? I have always had problems switching off from work, my dreams usually involve warehouses etc. but in the past it didn't matter so much - I didn't need so much brain for the rest of my life :-)

[Frangipani Lou]

I think I have been wysiwyg. It's worse when I'm stressed, tired or depleted.
I wish I wasn't like that. I think I'm trying to do lots of reflection, planning and problem solving.

[peanutter]

Today I got home and went to bed.

I'm sick. The boys are sick. One of the boys is acting up majorly, meaning DH hasn't been able to get much done.

Today was a huge day at work, I didn't stop, I didn't get lunch, I didn't breathe ... I was about to leave around 4.30pm when a very urgent thing came up which I had to deal with pronto. I finished it just on 5, went home, went to bed.

Going to sleep now.

[MummyNaomi]

PN hope you feel better in the morning

WYSIWYG - she generally has a three hr nap. If she didn't sleep so well I wouldn't be as productive. I can also attend to lots of things via email, meaning I don't need to literally be in front of my laptop. I often shoot things off from my phone while juggling DD. Today I was ploughing away through my workload, heard DD wake and realised it was 5 mins past the time I usually leave to pick up DS from school. Thank god DD woke or I might have just kept going. Got there in time luckily. Mother of the year candidate for sure!! Have set an alarm on my phone for the days I do school pick up now!!


I'm in a rut though, the daily grind of balancing kids, work and getting to childcare/school etc. DH and I feel like it's Groundhog Day. DD is rather high maintenance which doesn't help. Need to invest in our social life and get out a bit more, with and without kids in tow.....

[Astrid]

I'm in a rut though, the daily grind of balancing kids, work and getting to childcare/school etc. DH and I feel like it's Groundhog Day. DD is rather high maintenance which doesn't help. Need to invest in our social life and get out a bit more, with and without kids in tow.....

Same. Time just feels like it is flying by and we feel like we are not doing "anything". Trying to do more fun stuff and things that have a purpose.outcome like finishing the curtains, redoing the girls wardrobe, sewing for me . Just means we have to stop being so lazy of an evening and do some boring housework, so our weekends are freer for doing those things.

Just trying to work out vacation care. Ouchies on the bank account now as I have to pay for two of them. Wish I could pay it monthly in the lead up to it. I just have to get better at managing the finances!

[wysiwyg]

PN hope you feel better in the morning

WYSIWYG - she generally has a three hr nap. If she didn't sleep so well I wouldn't be as productive. I can also attend to lots of things via email, meaning I don't need to literally be in front of my laptop. I often shoot things off from my phone while juggling DD. Today I was ploughing away through my workload, heard DD wake and realised it was 5 mins past the time I usually leave to pick up DS from school. Thank god DD woke or I might have just kept going. Got there in time luckily. Mother of the year candidate for sure!! Have set an alarm on my phone for the days I do school pick up now!!


I'm in a rut though, the daily grind of balancing kids, work and getting to childcare/school etc. DH and I feel like it's Groundhog Day. DD is rather high maintenance which doesn't help. Need to invest in our social life and get out a bit more, with and without kids in tow.....

Yes hope you are feeling better P/N.

I know what you mean about the daily grind - we do still get out a fair bit with the kids in tow (in this little flat we have to get out) - but the house is a disaster area. DH often offers to take kids out so I can rest/sleep or do boring house stuff - but I don't always accept because I am sick of missing out/resting there has to be some fun in life, and I don't want weekends to be always one or other of us with the kids and the other at home resting or whatever.

I am so fed up over the whole work situation - yes this job I am finishing at Easter, but after that what - who knows. Everything I see in my arena just wants to many hours - it pays well but I don't really care about that - we just need a little bit more than DH earns (plus I like to be working some of the time) but so far all the more suitable things time wise I am too experienced for, or as I have never done that exact title then don't get considered.

I feel naive that I never considered working after having kids would be this hard (not the actual kids and working thing - which is hard but I expected that) but the sorting out a job which works for family life as well. But then I suppose since pre-kids the industry has continued changing along the off-shoring path and is all the jobs which have gone off-shore that were the most suitable for regular hours and minimal travel etc.

At least I am not regretting my decision to finish where I currently am, last night found out while online to speak to India (who no one had told me were on a public holiday) that managers at work have promised to deliver three significant pieces of work by next Friday - without even asking me on dates - and they reckon they have built in contingency. I have 5 working days left between today and next Friday and even if I manage an extra 8 hours spread over evenings - I won't even come close. There is at least 10 solid days work from me and that is not building in any time waiting on things to be done in India.