Reconciling work and family – is that possible?

Contrary to how it is portrayed in many media outlets, reconciling work and family is not exclusively a problem of mothers and single parents. Just as women are under pressure to contribute to the family income and build a career, men are expected, as primary earners, to participate equally in raising children and in household chores.

Anyone who wants to reconcile work and family without stress therefore first has to address their own expectations: Which expectations have I in my job? What do I wish for for my children? What do I expect from my partner? Only when priorities within the family are established can all family members in everyday life pull together.

Avoiding everyday stress – tips for working parents

• Let go of perfectionism:

  Hardly anyone manages to excel at the same time at work, as parents, as partners, and in running the household.

• State your wishes clearly:

  If work and family are hard to reconcile, talk to your employer and also to your partner and your children about your expectations.

• Weigh activities:

  Work, school and daycare are stressful enough. Try, together with the children, to schedule a few free afternoons during the week. That way your children have time to play and you save travel time and a lot of organization.

• Free weekends:

  People who work during the week want to enjoy the weekend. Planned activities every weekend can, however, quickly turn into leisure stress. It's better to occasionally not plan anything at all.

• Clearly divide tasks:

  A family is like a mini-company and everyone should help ensure that it functions. Assign tasks to the children and split larger household chores between you and your partner according to availability, if necessary with a "cleaning schedule".

• Enjoy your family:

  Don't forget what you put up with the daily stress for and take time now and then to enjoy your family – even if it's only a few minutes.

Family-friendly working hours – the big sticking point

The best professional qualifications are of no use if the working hours don't match the daycare opening hours or the partner's working hours. Especially for mothers returning to work, this represents a major challenge. Not infrequently, a job offer cannot be accepted because only full-time or part-time options are available.

Companies are on the right track

Many companies have meanwhile recognized that more flexible working time models not only benefit families, but also increase employee commitment. At the same time, family-friendly working hours are increasingly a criterion when choosing an employer. Because those who offer attractive models secure the best employees.

High demand for family-friendly working models

Nine out of ten mothers and fathers stated in a survey by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs that family-friendly working hours are as important to them when choosing an employer as the level of their salary. This is not only because in more and more families both parents work, but also because awareness of a healthy work-life balance is increasing. Parents want to enjoy time with their family and be able to use it more effectively.

What options for organizing working hours are there?

• The most widespread is the flextime arrangement, in which employees only must be at the company during core working hours and otherwise set their own start and end times.

• Those working in project-based roles can often agree on a functional time arrangement, where working hours are determined by the current workload. Similarly, selectable working hours, e.g. in gastronomy, allow employees to indicate their desired working times on the schedule.

• With annual working time models and lifetime working time models, the workload is determined according to order levels or the employee's availability, but the monthly salary remains the same.

• Remote work/home office is often offered as a supplement to a flexible working-time model and requires a certain degree of trust from the employer in their employees.

Image credits:

Mother with children at a laptop © nataliealeb - stock.adobe.com

Wooden cubes © Stockwerk-Fotodesign - stock.adobe.com

Mother with sleeping child on the sofa © Degroote Stock - stock.adobe.com