Yahoo Lifestyle Is it Best to Work From Home?
For many new mums, the thought of going back to work after having their precious wee bundle is terrifying, but with the rising cost of living, many families need two incomes just to get by.
There are two types of work-at-home mum - those who are able to negotiate with their employer to fulfill their current role from home, and those who think outside the square to start their own small businesses from home. Jobs which lend themselves well to working from home include administration roles, book-keeping and accounting, freelance writing, graphic design, photography, internet-based roles such as IT support and web design and even small e-commerce setups.
Working from home has its benefits - many work-at-home mums work around their children's naps to reduce childcare expenses, and those who do use childcare find they require fewer hours as they're not having to factor in travel. Travel expenses are zero, and you can claim back some of the household expenses of working from home (such as electricity and work-related purchases) when you do your annual tax return. Most importantly, working from home generally offers more flexibility with hours than a job outside the home, which means you don't miss out on the fun parts of being a mum such as playgroups and coffee dates with friends as you can catch up on work in the evenings after the children are asleep.
But it's not all smooth sailing - working from home also has its drawbacks. Being stuck in a home office all day with no adult company can be isolating. As your children get older, they sleep less during the day and demand more attention, which makes working around them challenging if you've chosen not to use childcare. And if you don't really love the work you're doing, motivation can be a big problem without the structure of a daily office routine.
Here's how two mums made returning to the workforce work for them, one as a work-at-home mum, the other in a role outside the home.
Kim Abbate launched her own website design company from home so she could spend more time with her children, Bella, seven, and Charlie, two.
Before I had kids, I was working long hours as a marketing manager. I was virtually married to my job. When I fell pregnant with Bella, I knew I couldn’t keep that up, so I started to look for ways to make my career more family friendly.
Now I’m permanently based at home with my own company, Bright Web Solutions. My husband and I have also just opened a bed and breakfast. Bella goes to school and Charlie is in childcare one-and-a-half days a week. On another day a friend and I do a swap for half a day.
Other than that, I work when the kids are asleep (often waking before dawn to get a few hours in!) and on the weekends.This routine works most of the time, but the juggle gets tough when the children get sick or something unexpected pops up.
The work/life balance tends to get a little blurred when you work from home, but I have little rules to help me focus on what needs to get done. For instance I don’t do any work between 7am and 9am because that’s the children’s time.
I try to structure my day so there’s a clear boundary between time for the kids and time for work. Charlie has taken to closing my laptop, which is a good reminder not to work during his time! My time management is much better now than before I was a mum.
Working from home means I can be more involved in the kids’ lives. I can go to school assemblies, do reading in my daughter’s class and take my son to playgroup. It can be a bit isolating working from home and I do miss the social atmosphere of the office sometimes. But I wouldn’t have things any other way.
GALLERY: Work style tips from the stars
Rosie Caltabiano has two children, Massimo, seven, and Lucia, two. She works three full days in an office as a public servant.
Hubby and I are both part-time workers so we are able to share the care of our kids. Our home life is pretty hectic, but we’ve developed some short cuts to keep things going. I do a big cook-up once every couple of weeks and fill the freezer with meals that are ready to heat and eat. For cleaning, I do what I can, when I can. I leave a spray bottle with disinfectant in each of the bathrooms with a chamois and simply wipe down surfaces as we brush our teeth. On the weekend, my husband and I vacuum and dust a room each.
I used to obsess about housework, which just caused tension in the family. So now, as I look at my filthy windows, I just remind myself that I can play with the kids or clean. I also weaned myself off my ironing obsession when I returned to work. I now look for non-iron clothes or hang wet things on coathangers to go straight from the line to the cupboard.
I keep a diary by the phone and put everything in it: work days, where the kids are, phone numbers, who is picking the kids up, phone messages, bills… I’ve found this to be a real lifesaver. We also have a laminated weekly planner on the fridge with things like appointments for the week and playdates.
It’s difficult when the kids get upset that I can’t just hang out with them and sometimes dropping them off in tears at school and daycare makes me feel awful for the entire day. I explain to them that I need to go to work and that we’ll have an extra special cuddle when we get home.
I cope as best as I can. I know that my kids are being looked after at school and daycare and I ensure that I spend quality time with them after work.
It’s not always an easy life and I’m sure there are things I’ve missed at school and daycare that I would have loved to have been at. But my job also provides our kids with many opportunities and it works for us.
Tips for making life work as a working mum
If you can squeeze it into the budget, a cleaner is a worthy investment. That way you're not spending your precious down-time worrying about the state of bathroom
Don't overcommit yourself - be realistic about what you can achieve both with personal tasks and work tasks
Have a contingency plan - if the kids are sick and you have work that just can't be put off, do you have family or friends that can step in to help out? Is there an occasional daycare centre nearby?
Build up a repertoire of quick, healthy meals that can be thrown together quickly for those days when everything falls apart, and on days when you have a bit of extra time, cook double (or even triple) batches of family favourites like bolognese to freeze for emergencies
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