How are the parents amongst us finding homeschooling this time around? Our kids are teenagers, so I don’t have to homeschool them as such, just chivvy them through the day, laugh at the occasional meme and try to prevent them from annihilating the kitchen. There are plenty of emotional up and downs though and the demands of parenting don’t seem to decrease, just change.
In 2021 I’m working on some new Working Mum strategies. My previous one has been to have the family in one box, and my professional self in another. One box opens when I leave the house, and the other when I return. Both of these aspects are essential to who I am and nourish different parts of me, but I am so much better at them when they are not mixed up and messy. With home schooling I'm doing both at the same time meaning my Working Mum strategy can’t be applied effectively and I end up feeling that I could be doing both roles a lot better.
So this year a new strategy is high up there on my list of self-coaching topics as I can see a few more weeks, maybe even months, of this situation occurring, often at short notice. Even home-working blurs the edges more than I’m used to. I’m going to need to shift my mindset about needing those boxes first, if I’m to create and stick to a new effective strategy. So that’s what I’m working on first… every time that internal voice says “You really should be doing…” I’m going to quieten it and focus on my best available option at that time.
As employers, managers and leaders we also need to think carefully about the impact the pandemic is having on inclusivity. One thing we could consider is the comparison of women’s experiences to men’s, obviously not in all cases, but some trends. This McKinsey report is a great place to start: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace
All organisations want great outcomes and our people are essential to that. Understanding the experiences of our colleagues and how these may be changed since CV19 will help get those outcomes. This will help leaders create cultures and working practices that ensure talent is not lost because we can’t find new ways to keep the balls juggling. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.