Remote work offers flexibility and balance to many working parents. But the very latest developments in teleworking have brought to light a still little-known problem…
The rise of remote work is routinely hailed for providing a better work-life balance, but it can also have serious downsides. The ninth annual Modern Family Index, directed by The Harris Poll for Bright Horizons, a global provider of early childhood education, childcare and workforce training services, has released its figures. And they are contrasting. Among working parents, 36% said they felt a little more fulfilled in their work than three years ago and 58% believe that flexible working hours are a factor in this satisfaction. But…
8 out of 10 parents take care of children by teleworking
About 8 in 10 parents who work remotely at least part of the time admit that they juggle work and family responsibilities during the workday, with 47% driving their children to activities and 44% helping them with their homework. A quarter of parents who work while in childcare roles almost never mention their day-to-day parenting duties to their managers, while 41% say they sometimes believe they have to hide their personal responsibilities from co-workers.
In turn, about 4 in 10 parents also say that when they work from home, there are periods when they spend days without leaving their house, while 33% admit that they “feel very isolated” when they work remotely.
New fear about career development
But another more recent and very serious problem arises for a large part of these employees: teleworking gives the feeling to many parents that their career will be affected. 35% of parents who work from home part of the time believe that their hybrid schedules negatively affect their career and 40% would like their managers to advise them on the desirable time to spend in the office.
Dads were particularly concerned: 44% of those who were working fear that if they use benefits aimed at balancing work and private life, it will negatively affect their performance. And there is an explanation for this phenomenon: the support of managers vis-à-vis teleworking parents, very strong at the start of the Covid pandemic, has faded, according to Stephen Kramer, CEO of Bright Horizons.
Today, with the pandemic receding, nurseries and child care centers are open and “employees are expected to be productive and have understood how to meet their family responsibilities while (tele)working “There should be real concern about the impact on mental health and the feelings of isolation caused to employees by remote work,” he said. him to seize the question “to make this balance more realistic for the employees”.