Working Moms - I need advice
I had to cut my maternity leave 5 weeks short and started working yesterday. Chelsea is being taken care of by a friend's mom and is in loving hands. Yesterday - as you can imagine was tough. I mean, I barely walked in the door and people were piling on the work.
By 7pm, I was a walking zombie but had to take care of my children plus get ready for the next day. Today was a better day. I would not speak to anyone work related "by the cooler". They had to set up an appointment to meet with me - so I can keep my sanity. I have been able to skip out early both days so far. I am going to speak with my manager tomorrow to see if we can arrange a flexible work schedule.
Working moms - what have you found to work for you with regards to flexible work schedules?
The first time around - I stayed home with Eli for 5 months and when I started working he was placed in the daycare at my job. This time is a lot harder. The kids are in two different locations and now there are TWO of them (lol). Any advice would be appreciated. The best I've heard today was, "Do what you can to make each day better for you and your family."
TIA
Re: Working Moms - I need advice
honestly I have to agree, do what you have to, make it work for you. I know jobs are important but so is your sanity. I had to switch to part time after working full time and getting really sick. my body just couldn't handle it juggling everything. now I'm working 2-12 hr shifts and just recently added an extra 2-4hr shifts (to save for maternity leave) It's really really hard but with only 1 income (mine) since DH is in med school we've had to do what works for us since me being out sick every couple months for a couple months just doesn't work (no pay while out usually)
anyway do what you can, tell them you can't do EVERYTHING. you can't be EVERYTHING to everyone. You and your family come first and they need to respect that. I hope it all goes well.
GL
I feel for you. I'm sorry that they piled the work on so high on your first day! That sucks.
When I went back to work, I had arranged to have a part-time schedule. I figured out how the schedule would work, what my paycut would be, and how I would be measured in terms of progress. I presented my plan to my boss in a meeting, then in a written memo, which was submitted to the Powers That Be at my job, who then approved it. I did this before leaving on maternity leave, but you could just as easily do it now.
If I were you, I would figure out a) what you can afford to take as far as a paycut, b) how to make that work into a smaller work schedule, or c) how you could telecommute (if possible) and be as productive from home as you are at work if you want to keep a full time position. Or maybe how you can mix a part-time schedule with some time working from home. Whatever--it's up to you to figure out how you can make it work for yourself AS WELL AS the employer. They don't really care about your home pressures--they just want to know how to get the best and most out of you for the least money. I'm generalizing,I know, but even the best employer wants you to do the job, so it's up to you to find a way to present your plan in a way that shows that you will be a better worker on a different schedule.
And whatever you figure out and settle on with your boss, make sure you put it in writing yourself and present it to them on your terms and get it signed by a supervisor, rather than trusting what someone says in a meeting.
Good luck!
Oh, PS: my schedule is 4 days a week, 8 hours each day, and I'm at 65% for billable hours and salary. This is compared to 5 days a week, 11 hours each day. So even though I work 4 days out of 5, my days are shorter, so it's not just a straight 20% paycut.
Tania