A day in the life of a working parent - The invisible load
08/10/2022
A US study, commissioned by American juice brand Welch, found that being a parent is the equivalent of working 2.5 full-time jobs, impacting both men and women. And this is something that Rochelle Reddish, Rehabilitation Case Manager at Zurich and mother of two young children, can relate to.
She explains, “It feels like people do not often openly talk about juggling being a parent and working, but I am a great believer in being honest on how you are feeling, even if it prevents just one person to not feel alone.” Rochelle goes on to share some things to think about to try and help ease the load, including:
1. Acceptance
We can all be hard on ourselves, I sometimes feel I am unable to give 100% to being a parent and an employee at the same time, but then in the same breath, remember how well I am doing at juggling both. This is your reminder to accept that things are going to be a struggle at times, but we can only try and do our best!
2. Find your village
They say it takes a village to raise a child, I am still looking for mine, but if you have people around offering their support take it; this can help with things both financially if it saves on a nursery day or two and mentally to give yourself a break.
3. Research & utilise your work policies & rights
I can work from home full time, which I am very thankful for, as I would not, for example, be able to manage school/nursery runs and be in the office full time. Make sure you look up your flexible working policy and use it where you need to and discuss your needs with your manager if, for example, you need to move your hours around.
A great website for advice to parents and carers is https://workingfamilies.org.uk/ and their mission is ‘to remove barriers that people with caring responsibilities face in the workplace’.
4. Routine
Try to develop a routine to make life a little easier on yourself, one thing that I have stuck to is a 7pm bedtime for the little ones every night, so I have that bit of downtime in the evenings. I also try to ensure I take my full hour’s lunch break around the same time each day, as it is often the only alone time I get during the day.
5. Take some time for yourself
Everybody needs ‘me time’; I am the worst at putting this advice into practice, but it is important to take a step away and look after yourself. This could be in any form; I find it refreshing to hit the gym and spa for a couple of hours or book the odd massage; find your thing and make time for it regularly.
And as she puts on her Rehabilitation Case Manager hat?
“I can say I have come across plenty of people who have experienced a personal injury because of a workplace incident and found things extra tough, due to also being a parent. For example, in a case I once worked on, a single mother injured herself in the factory she worked at, but she was not entitled to sick pay, so she needed to get back to work as soon as possible, due to being the main breadwinner. As you can imagine, a lack of pay was a source of stress for the young mother and if she did not get the swift rehabilitation intervention and a course of physiotherapy offered, she may have had a much longer wait on the NHS before being fit enough to return to work and potentially suffered further financial implications as a result.
In the General Insurance Zurich Rehabilitation Team, we look at cases holistically and hope to help ease the injured parties’ burdens resulting from an injury at work; so not just providing treatment such as physiotherapy, psychotherapy or a referral to consultants but also giving advice and pointing them in the right direction for support in other areas of their life that have been impacted. One useful resource our referred patients have access to is the Zurich Support Service helpline which is a free and confidential health and wellbeing service, for a range of issues in areas like relationships, finance, legal and childcare; it also offers counselling and coaching.”
And finally, Rochelle has some advice to employers out there who may be wondering how they can further support their workers with dependents, with these topics to consider:
- Flexible working hours
- Hybrid working options
- Helping employees to access employee assistance programmes
- Creating a parent forum where likeminded colleagues can support each other
- Allowing for a higher level of autonomy
- Focusing on results rather than hours worked
- Encouraging your employees work-life balance
- Considering a childcare subsidy
- Reviewing maternity and paternity leave; and if more can be offered
- Having discussions with your employees about their children, and opening the door to understanding their struggles, so you may find a way to support them.
“There are some fantastic workers out there who might be struggling now with the ‘invisible load’ of parenthood but with just a bit of support and help to ease the burden, a much more productive and happier worker is born, in turn enhancing your business.”
If you have an employee in mind who might benefit from the Zurich Rehabilitation Team’s input, please follow the following link for more information: https://www.zurich.co.uk/business/our-expertise/rehabilitation-team or please do not hesitate to contact the Zurich Rehabilitation General Insurance Team on 0121 697 8740 or 0121 697 8742 to see how we can help in both physical and psychological injury.
