As many of us find ourselves in this most unusual situation of homeschooling our children while also trying to work from home, it looks to be more of a long-term, rather than short-term, arrangement… So how exactly are we going to make this work?
Our Employee Matters Team has worked remotely since its inception more than 8 years ago. In addition, our team is full of Mums and Dads who are now adding the title of ‘Teacher’ to their credentials. We are all in this together! We asked the members of our team to send through their top tips on how they are making this new ‘normal’ work. They have kindly shared the following:
- Learn from each other. Everyone in the family has a special skill or talent. Get each person to teach everyone else that skill. I.e. learn some moves on Fortnite, gain some core strength by following along your daughter’s gymnastics core strength exercises
- Open up every morning with a prayer circle where each child communicates a random act of kindness that they will complete for the day
- Keep to a routine and follow a school day schedule as closely as possible (including meal times)
- Use devices to set alarms for each of the bell times at school
- Do all the normal things you would normally do to get ready in the morning – get your kids up at the same time, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth and hair etc. If it helps, get your kids to wear their school uniform
- If you only have one device or limited internet bandwidth, be organised and plan when each child needs to use it
- During recess and lunch, let your older children video conference their friends (with parental supervision of course). Keeping them connected to their social circle is so important
- Have the school day finish at the usual time. Don’t carry over work. Pack up all of the school stuff at the end of the day. Put it all away out of sight so your house turns back into your house again! Keep some really clear boundaries
- Have the older children help their younger siblings for short periods of time, particularly if you have a meeting or important work that needs to be done. Put the oldest in charge during this time and give them areas of responsibility
- Where you are able to access your extracurricular activities online, stick to the same timetable and still have your children continue to be involved in these activities
- ‘PE with Joe’ on Youtube is amazing! He helps get kids’ (and adults’) blood pumping and allows them to burn some energy. This really helps with keeping them focussed at home
- Dust off some of the old games – i.e table tennis table, board games
- Walk together as a family, it’s so important to get in some physical activity. Get out regularly!
- Take some time out for yourself. Go for a walk, ring some friends or family or listen to a podcast
- Embrace some of the online excursions currently available; various zoos are streaming live videos, virtual tours are available for places around the world (e.g. the Louvre in Paris). This will buy you some time to get some work done
- If there are 2 parents working from home, split the time between both of you, so you have an opportunity to work uninterrupted. This could be split into 2 parts of the day or 4 parts of the day if the work is more reactive
- Pack the children’s lunch and snacks at the beginning of the day. This helps manage food expectations and maintains structure
- Leave the complex work until you have some uninterrupted free time or when the kids go to bed
- Be kind to yourself; this isn’t easy. Do your best and make sure you let your manager/supervisor know if you are struggling
- Try to reflect on the positives not the negatives. Limit the time you spend watching or reading the news and don’t multitask, be present in each of the activities you undertake, one at a time
While we settle into this new phase of life, working from home and homeschooling becomes the norm, for at least the foreseeable future. Connect with your friends and family, look after one another (obviously virtually) and share any tips or tricks along the way.
Employee Matters have pulled together a practical Working From Home pack to support you in this journey, our pack includes a policy, audit, comprehensive guides for employers and employees and a guide to working at home with young children, which has been written by an early childhood educator. For more information Click Here
For any help or general HR advice, please contact the team at Employee Matters on (02) 8021 4206 – or email us on info@employeematters.com.au
Disclaimer: The advice, information and resources provided by Employee Matters in response to the COVID-19 impacts and any policies, processes and documentation provided to you, is generic and not specific to any business. It is based on the guidance and information we have at the time you receive it. It does not constitute specific legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Employee Matters will not assume any legal liability that arises from our advice or use of our documentation