Child Care Options for Flexible Schedules

You have secured your ideal schedule at work maximizing the amount of time you have available to spend at home with your children. However, you still need reliable child care for those hours spent at work. Unfortunately, flexible schedules can reek havoc on daycare arrangements which often require regular hours and full-time costs, regardless of mom and dad's schedule. Consider the following daycare options with regards to your own flexible schedule:

• Babysitters, Relatives, and Friends: enlisting the periodic services of a local teenager or someone you know can buy you a few extra quiet work hours at a relatively low cost. Such babysitters are paid hourly and can be hired to work a few hours here and there to extend your work day.
• Nanny or Au Pair: usually a young adult with or without a college degree, a nanny or au pair is generally hired to work full-time hours but can provide the flexibility of watching your kids in your own home. As full-time employees, some nannies may require you to also provide benefits including housing in a live-in arrangement.
• Child Care Cooperative: coops involve a group of parents who swap childcare responsibilities. Often involving a network of several families, coops will provide several options for care at varying times. The only cost is an exchange of equal childcare hours at another time.
  
• Family Child Care: in home care provided by a licensed provider can offer flexibility to working parents who work longer hours as in the case of a compressed work week. Since family child care providers work from their own home, a provider can watch your child as one of her own brood without interference into everyday activities.
  
• Child Care Centers: some centers offer part-time rates but usually require regular hours. For example, your child can attend a child care center for preschool only, but the daily class times are rigid, for example 3 hours each morning.
• After School Programs or Summer Camps: activities and camps can keep children occupied for a short few hours, again with a rigid schedule, providing extra hours to get work done.
  

Each of these daycare options may suit varying flexible schedules with mixed success. Finding your ideal daycare to match your ideal work schedule will be a constant exercise in balance and discernment.

To search local child care options visit the Maryland Committee for Children. For a nationwide search of childcare providers visit SitterCity (Don't forget Fido. SitterCity also has pet sitter resources).

Why Part-Time Doesn't Always Work

When the results of a recent Pew Research study were released recently declaring that mothers prefer part-time work, I had initially decided not to jump on the band wagon of mommy bloggers who were less than surprised by the results. What mother juggling the majority of childrearing and housework responsibilities would not like to work a few less hours each week? Research like this only fans the flames of the so-called mommy wars by pitting at-home moms against working moms who might both be happier with a part time work schedule.

Recent events in my home have led me to revisit the results of this study and the many reasons why I have decided not to reduce my own work hours to a part time schedule. In fact, for many families, part-time work simply does not work.

1. Part-time work = Part-time pay: Beyond the obvious math here, part-time employees doing the same job within the same industry make around $3 less per hour than their full-time counterparts.
2. Benefits are cost prohibitive: Health and retirement benefits available to full-time employees are often unavailable to part-time employees. When equal benefits are purchased, an individual misses out on the discounts made available to large employers.
3. Part-time does not always mean less than 40 hours: Most employees working a nontraditional schedule have experienced the reality that time spent away from the office during standard business hours is not sacred to coworkers. Crises and questions arise whether you are on vacation or home with your kids. Part-time employees who pick up that emergent phone call or check their work email daily will find themselves working several unbilled hours each week. Part-time quickly becomes less pay without a greatly reduced workload.

The best remedy is to seek work at a family friendly company with an acceptance of corporate flexibility. The more employees working any type of flexible arrangement, the more likely a corporation is to pay all employees on a common payscale. Similarly, family friendly employers may be more likely to offer prorated benefits to part-time employees passing along their corporate discount to all employees. The last one is up to you. Coworkers with similar family priorities may be less likely to call you at home, but you will need to personally define and communicate how much work you are willing to do on your time off. Do not feel bad letting coworkers know that you only work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leaving you unavailable the remainder of the week. But then do not check your email until you are back in the office.

Would you prefer to work a part-time schedule at work? Let me know what you think it would take to make your part-time schedule a reality.

Monthly Tip: Summer Hours

Summer hours are offered at many companies as a way to keep employees motivated to work throughout the week when the weather is beautiful outside. Schedules can vary, but this seasonal flexible scheduling generally allows employees to compress their work week in order to take Friday afternoon off each week or every other Friday off entirely.

Consult your employee handbook for official policies regarding summer hours or ask an HR representative. Also, question coworkers who have been at the company for years or who seem to be taking advantage of summer scheduling.

Summer scheduling provides a great opportunity to steal some daytime hours in the sun and also to test the waters for a more permanent flexible scheduling arrangement. After three months of flexible scheduling and maintained high productivity, approach your boss in September with a proposal to keep your schedule as is throughout the year. Showcase the projects you completed over the summer and take note of your decreased need to take time off during the week. Summer hours are highly accepted in the corporate setting where flexible scheduling otherwise is not. Take this opportunity to show your boss how advantageous a flexible schedule can be for everyone.

Enjoy the sunshine!

The Apple iPhone: Good for telecommuters and home business owners?

Friday evening, the Apple iPhone hit the shelves at Apple and AT&T stores across the United States to a market of salivating consumers and a crush of media. The new phone, part cell phone, part web browser, part iPod, may revolutionize cell phone usage. But could this pricey gadget make the lives of telecommuters and home business owners any easier?

What the iPhone can do

Like the original Macintosh computer, the iPhone makes mobile computing fast and simple with no pull down menus and a one-touch button on every screen returning you to the main menu.

For $20 a month on the AT&T service plan (AT&T exclusively for about 5 years) employees away from the office can enjoy access to email and web browsing with the touch of the screen.

Email and voicemail is easily accessible, both as a list of available messages. No computerized operator prompting you to dial one to listen to messages; you can select which message to hear and which to save for later. Word, Excel, and pdf files sent as email attachments can be viewed on the go giving you instant access to important information.

Users can manage interruptions. If listening to music or viewing video, you can accept a call by simply activating the microphone built into the headphone wire, instantly pausing all other media until the end of the call.

What the iPhone cannot do

The biggest concern from business owners has been the lack of third party support for iPhone applications. Apple will design and release software for the phone only as needed. Third party software will not be adaptable to the phone.

While you can view Word and Excel documents on the go you cannot edit them on the iPhone without using some sort of online document service, such as Google’s Docs and Spreadsheets.

The iPhone interfaces best with a Mac. Business owners using a PC will have more difficulty, although the iPhone is programmed to work with both.

The lack of a keyboard makes much typing difficult. Unlike its Blackberry and Treo counterparts, the iPhone utilizes a touch screen keyboard with word recognition software that takes some getting used to.

The battery life of the new iPhone is adequate for most days away from the office. With 8 hours of talk time and up to 24 hours of audio, the battery will need to be charged every other day or so. However, like other Apple products, when the battery dies after a few years, the consumer cannot replace the battery. The iPhone must be shipped back to Apple for a new battery at a fee to the user.

Is the iPhone for you and your business? Does constant access to the web and the office make it easier for you to work or harder for you to separate yourself from work? The success of Apple’s iPhone will soon tell.

Making Flex Hours Work

Flex scheduling is a popular alternative scheduling option among those caring for young children with various after school commitments and those caring for aging adults with multiple doctors appointments each week. Any schedule with hours that diverge from the standard 8:00 am to 5:00 pm can be considered flex hours, with most arrangements falling into one of two categories, standard flex time and daily flex time.

Flexible Scheduling Options

Standard flex time is an alternative scheduling option consisting of rigid hours that are none-the-less nontraditional. While a condensed work week would certainly fall into this category, standard flex time allows an employee to work for example, 6:00 am to 3:00 pm every day, or work 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday, but 6:00 am to 3:00 pm on Fridays. This schedule, once established is constant from week to week.

Conversely, daily flex time allows an employee much latitude in scheduling each workday. Work hours are set according to the scheduling needs of that day, whether they be personal obligations or work requirements. Daily flex time will allow for a morning doctor’s appointment on Monday, soccer practice after school on Wednesday, and a long lunch with friends on Friday, while also accommodating for a conference call through lunch on Tuesday and a dinner meeting on Thursday.

The problem with flex time is that the nontraditional and variable hours can leave coworkers searching for you in an empty office and picking up extra responsibilities in your absence.

Making it Work

The keys to making flex time work are planning and organization, communicating your needs and plans well, and always respecting your coworkers.

1. Planning and organization: When possible, plan your schedule well in advance. Stay organized by scheduling all work and personal events and deadlines on one calendar so that you can constantly reassess if this week’s schedule will accommodate your obligations. Even if you work standard flex hours, keep track of any modifications you make to your schedule to determine if the hours you scheduled continue to address your time needs.
2. Communication: Communicate your needs and plans to your boss and coworkers allowing them to plan for your presence or absence. Consider posting your schedule somewhere in your office or sending a weekly email with your schedule to those who will be affected.
3. Respect: Respect the needs of those you work with. Consider working core hours at the office in order to tell customers and coworkers, I will be most available at work between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Pay attention to whether or not your schedule is leaving extra work to others in the office and possibly rework the division of responsibilities so that everyone can get their own work done while in the office.

Flex time is a brilliant strategy for juggling work and personal obligations. With a little respect for coworkers, careful planning, and great communication, flex time can be easy for everyone involved.

Finding Flexible Work in Frederick, Maryland or Anywhere

The search for flexible and family friendly work can be a frustrating process that may result in a lengthened job search and introduce unnecessary stress into your life. While job markets and employer needs are constantly changing, employers within certain industries are generally better equipped than others to provide flexible scheduling options and family friendly benefits to employees.

Large corporations
Large companies tend to have large budgets to service the work life needs of a larger, more diverse workforce. These companies may be able to allow daily flex time with employees working core hours. They may also be able to support telecommuters with a competent Network Administration department.

If you are looking for work in a large company in Frederick, Maryland you might consider:
Long and Foster
United Healthcare and Home Call, Inc.

Small businesses
Small companies may require minimal coverage allowing for job sharing or permanent part time positions. Efforts by business owners to reduce overhead costs may also provide employees the opportunity to telecommute. Individual needs in these companies are constantly changing with few positions per company. Keep an eye on local resources for openings.

If you are looking for work in a small business in Frederick, Maryland watch listings in the Frederick News Post jobs section.

Service providers
Companies with a service to provide tend to have extended or irregular business hours requiring flexible coverage by employees. Consider a position in retail or the restaurant industry. Also consider a health care setting that may require staff coverage 24 hours per day.

If you are looking for work within the service industry in Frederick, Maryland you might consider:
Boscov's
Frederick Keys
Frederick Memorial Hospital

Educational establishments
Schools and daycare centers are often a favorite employer among parents with work hours matching school hours of children. Additionally, employment in education often means holidays and summer hours off when kids are home from school.

If you are looking for work in an educational establishment in Frederick, Maryland you might consider:
Celebree Learning Centers
Frederick Community College
Frederick County Public Schools
Hood College

*This article is not intended to guarantee open positions, flexible scheduling, or family friendly benefits available at the above listed employers. Rather, we hope to provide resources of potential employment to our readers. We do not endorse any of these employers.

Working at Home...with Kids

One of the many reasons parents request a telecommuting arrangement with their employer is to allow more time spent at home with their children. Telecommuting involves working outside the office one or more days a week and can increase the hours you are available to your children by eliminating a long commute, allowing you to prepare dinner on your lunch break, and making you more available for emergencies during the day, among other advantages. However, working from home should not be a substitute for childcare, especially for young children.

Summertime poses a particular problem for full-time work at home parents of school-aged children faced with up to three months of sharing the home office. In order to maintain productivity while working at home, children need to be self-sufficient or well entertained. Try these tips below to find the appropriate situation for you, your children, and your business.

• Consider scaling back on your work load for the summer by working only part-time on a temporary basis.
• Hire full-time day care or a part-time babysitter.
• Swapping playdates with another stay-at-home parent is a free option that only requires your reciprocation. You can offer to watch the kids in the evenings for a date night or in the morning before you start work for the day.
• When it's just you and your kids, entertain them well. Set up developmentally appropriate activities they can do on their own that will not require too much assistance or clean up. Consider Wendy Piersall's list of 94 Ways to Keep Kids Busy.

Armed with lots of ideas to keep your kids entertained and your work hours productive, you can enjoy the summer months instead of dreading them.

Creating a Culture of Flexibility in the Workplace

Advice for employees interested in working to foster a culture of flexibility in your own workplace is published on Work It, Mom!

Several organizations exist whose solution to the rigidity of workplace productivity standards is legislation that would include employers to provide paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave, paid sick leave, increased vacation leave, and limits placed on overtime hours. Such requirements could be harmful to some employers who are already able to offer great flexibility. Additionally, these requirements are increasingly difficult for employers to offer part-time employees.

The solution we advocate is in itself one of flexibility. The goal is to find the right schedule, the right balance, and the right fit for each individual. Not every employee functions well as a teleworker. Not every position lends itself well to flex hours. But a flexible workplace culture works for everyone.

We advocate this culture of flexibility – an environment where the needs of an employee and the employer can be mutually met. The process is simple, resulting in a changed workplace culture, happier, more productive employees, and a greater sense of balance for all involved.

First, initiate open and meaningful communication with all levels of employees. Start with an assessment of the needs and priorities of the workforce including issues of work and life, health, family, and satisfaction with current scheduling options. This can be done as one-on-one meetings, a lunch and learn discussion group, or using a company-wide questionnaire. Maintain this level of communication to monitor progress and evaluate success.

Next, evaluate the information received and outline changes to be made. Remember, the information received represents the diversity of needs of many employees. Determine what changes align with your own values and the mission of the business. Further, consider what changes are worthwhile to make in order to please a maximum number of employees. Create a menu of flexible options and benefits your business will be able to implement.

Then, with upper management, align your business strategy to reflect the newly adopted culture. This includes marketing the changes made and building a structure that will sustain these changes. Start by rewriting the company mission statement to reflect the value placed on flexibility. Rework the employee handbook to include procedures for employees wishing to take advantage of newly instated benefits and the assessment and review processes eliminating antiquated measures of productivity. Update job postings to include information about flexible scheduling options and benefits. A reputation as a flexible and family friendly employer is a powerful marketing tool.

Finally, maintain the standards set forth by your new vision. The changes made will need to be dynamic, as each employee and each position has differing needs. Establish a mentor program that will serve to maintain the open lines of communication and allow for constant reappraisal of needs.

Remember, a culture of flexibility in itself necessitates flexibility. Remain open to new suggestions and you will find the balance that works best for employees and the company.

For additional information or assistance instituting a process for change at your company, please contact us at flexibleworkforce@gmail.com.

Ditching the Commute

The Washington/Baltimore area has for years been ranked among the worst commutes in the nation with increasingly congested highways, drivers traveling farther to their jobs each day, and a steady increase in road rage incidents. Additionally, commuting is increasingly expensive in light of rising oil prices and Mayor O'Malley's threat to gas taxes by 15%.

If you are ready to once and for all ditch a horrendous commute, consider a flexible work schedule:

• Telecommuting: working at a home office or a telework center closer to home, you can eliminate or shorten your commute. Telework centers are sprinkled over the Washington and Baltimore area and provide teleworkers with access to the office space, equipment, and technical support they need to keep working throughout the day. Click here for a list of local centers.
  
• Flexible hours: by working non-traditional hours, you can avoid the highways during peak traffic times, 6:00 - 8:00 am and 4:30 - 6:30 pm.
  

Commuter Connections additionally suggests walking or riding your bike to work, carpooling, or taking public transportation. The results of staying out of rush hour traffic will reduce your frustration level and save you money. Additionally, fewer drivers on the road during rush hour will result in lessened carbon emissions and reduced highway costs.