“Every morning my social media feed is filled with posts and photos from beautiful parents. There’s the newborn pics, adorable toddler grins, school play costumes and sports day ribbons.”
But then there’s the flip side that we don’t always see. The agonising pain of a mother or father going to work with a sick child at home. Or the anguish of a parent missing school pick ups and family dinners because they’re pulling night-shifts all week. And the new mums, clearly upset about returning to work before they’re ready, forced to put their newborn babies in care and go back to the daily grind, just to pay the bills.
Then there are the trailing spouses; usually women who are highly educated and advanced professionals, who put their careers on hold and move to another city or country due to their partner’s work assignment. Yes, it can be an exciting time and an opportunity for adventure, but they do so knowing full well the risks. A widening time gap can develop in the trailing spouse’s resume as they struggle to advance their own career and make use of their skill set in their new abode. Will they be able to pickup their career when they get back home?
I pore over these cries for help, and my heart sinks for these women. I look at my own situation, a woman in her early thirties, juggling two businesses, a degree and a partner. I don’t have children, but I’m busy. I still don’t have much spare time but I do have the luxury of having a flexible work schedule and being able to work from home. It really doesn’t matter where my life takes me. I can work from anywhere.
When I look at my own situation, I wonder how on earth working parents manage to juggle everything while trying to raise little humans. I look at these parents and think about how much stress could be eliminated from their lives if only they had more flexibility around their day; could drop the commute and work remotely from home.
We have incredible resources available at our fingertips now; digital platforms and apps that allow us to work efficiently and productively with employers and clients all over the world. More organisations are waking up to the possibilities, but the world of remote working is still largely untapped.
In my field, I’m constantly approached by clients wanting my skills. But when I mention I work remotely, a majority insist they need someone in-house. It leaves me baffled. The commute alone would waste hours in my day. I can be far more productive from home – my creative inspiration and output would drop dramatically with the distractions and interruptions of a traditional workplace.
Perhaps most importantly for the employer, it would cost them more to have my tush sitting at a desk in their office building every day.
It’s 2017.
We bank online.
Shop online.
Socialise online.
Watch TV online.
Order food online.
Communicate online.
Study online.
Let’s face it, we’re always connected and online!
Now it’s time for more employers to embrace working online too.
We live in a digital world – let’s work from where we’re happiest and take full advantage of being mobile. Working parents will love you for it.
About the Author
Michelle Daga is a freelance journalist, copywriter and content marketing specialist based in the beautiful Australian tropical city of Cairns. An advocate for remote work, Michelle works remotely with organisations throughout Australia and across the globe through her agency MLD Media. Michelle is also a food writer who shares her love of healthy Paleo food through her website, The Real Foodies.
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