Working parents share their tips for navigating the coronavirus crisis

It’s half-term here in the UK, but for parents who’ve had their little-ones underfoot for the past 10 weeks, this week feels no different than others. Our ‘Wellbeing for Working Parents during the Coronavirus Crisis’ webinar has helped hundreds of working parents balance the juggle of work + kids + the C-19 crisis. 
 
The webinar is packed full of wisdom and advice from our parental wellbeing coach, but we also invite parents to share their tips for managing their own wellbeing and that of their families during this time. Scroll down to see what other working parents have to say and share your own with us:

“I’m massively lowering my expectations and relaxing the rules. If that means an untidy house, a few ready meals and extra screen-time for my kids, then so be it!”

“When I’m working in my office, I use the green or red sign system. A green sign means ‘I’m working, but it’s ok, you can come and ask me something.’ A red sign means ‘I’m in the middle of something important right now. Unless it’s an emergency, it will have to wait.”

“I find I oscillate between really lovely days as a family and then incredibly challenging days. I find trying to do something to start the day with laughter eg. a big tickle, some jokes, gets us on to the right foot for a better day ahead.”

“If appropriate, I bring my kids on to the start of a conference call, so they can see what I’m doing and who I’m speaking to for work. They then leave me to have the call, but have more of a sense of what I’m doing.”

“It’s obvious, but essential – a clear schedule between my husband and I of who’s doing which work / childcare shifts.”

“I try to have clear boundaries between work time and kid time. When I’m with my son, I try not to look at my phone unless I really  need to. And when I’m working, I try not to spend time watching videos of my son!’

Despite schools slowly starting to re-open next week, parents will be navigating this ‘perfect storm’ of children + work for quite some time yet. Click here to find out more about how our Wellbeing for Working Parents during C-19 webinar can support the parents in your team.