Welcome to the Unlimited Mom Newsletter
February 18, 2003
http://www.UnlimitedMom.com
Unlimited Mom is dedicated to helping working moms recognize and value all
facets of their lives…their families, their work and their personal
development.
Your suggestions and ideas are always welcome. Feel free to email us
anytime at mailto:sue@unlimitedmom.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Sue's Rambling's
2. Navigating Your Life
3. Flexibility 101 – The Basics – What are my Options?
4. Tips for Asking for a Flexible Work Arrangement
5. Easy As Pie – Is a Home Based Business the Answer?
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Sue’s Ramblings
Hello to All,
It’s Saturday afternoon, the guys are skiing, and I’m trying to complete this newsletter edition early as I will be going out of town next week for 4 days. I don’t travel much, but am going this week and am actually looking forward to it. I work in a pretty small office (6 including me), and so it is very nice to get a break from them for a awhile. Not to mention that I have a brand new un-opened copy of the new John Grisham book just burning a hole in my pocket and perfect for reading during those long airport waits and quiet hotel rooms (I even have some bubble bath I got for Christmas I might use!) I’ll miss my two “boys”, but last I heard they were planning lots of non-nutritious dinners, trips to Chuckee Cheese and marathon sessions in front of Warren Miller skiing videos (I don’t think I have to explain these two are obsessed with skiing). So, while I’m sure I’ll be missed, I’m also sure they will survive!
This issue is dedicated to flexible work arrangements. I know I learned an awful lot researching this topic, and enough to know that the topic can’t be adequately covered in one newsletter! So, please take time to visit the web sites of our wonderful contributors: Nancy Collamer from JobsandMoms.com http://www.jobsandmoms.com (following Nancy’s article, see your chance to enter a drawing to win one of Nancy’s two e-books, “Flex Jobs” and “How to Craft a Winning Home Based Business”), Kirsten Ross from Womans-Work.com http://www.Womans-Work.com , and Tammy Harrison from Home-Based Working Moms http://www.hbwm.com .
Please help us grow! If you enjoy receiving Unlimited Mom, pass it on to a friend. If you would like to see something different covered in the newsletter, please let me know, and I will do my best (I promise, recipes are coming, I received a few from readers, but am always looking for more)! mailto://sue@unlimitedmom.com
Have a great week, hope you enjoy the newsletter, and don’t forget to enter the drawing below!
Sue
mailto://sue@unlimitedmom.com
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Navigating Your Life
By Sue Dickinson
I don’t know how you do it…….How in the world do you juggle it all?…..It must be really hard to find balance in your life……How do you make the choice? I’m sure as working moms you have heard all of the above, and many more.
Funny, I’ve been working “outside the home” for almost 20 years of my life, but no one ever thought to say things like this to me until my son was born. All of a sudden it seemed that in the minds of some, I went from being a capable human being, able to manage each of my career, marriage and personal life, to someone who was apparently struggling with the daily chore of being me.
Now, I cannot lie that all the hormones racing through my body when my son was first born certainly made me question my abilities and motives more than once. Not having a lot of experience with children, I knew from the start that the biggest challenge I would ever encounter was to be a “good mom”. And, despite the love I feel for my husband, I was really thrown to find how deep and distracting my love for my child was, and how easily that love could wreak havoc on my emotions, common sense and confidence in my decisions.
But it had never crossed my mind to believe that the addition of a child would somehow make the life I had carved out to become unmanageable, even unbalanced. And yet, that was the message I was all of a sudden receiving.
The word “balance” makes me think of one of those old balancing measures where you put the weight on one side, and then the product you want to measure on the other, until you have placed enough to achieve perfect horizontal balance. If you place too much on one side, or not enough, it is out of balance. There is only one way to achieve perfect balance, and that is to get it just right.
Unfortunately, human beings don’t have the luxury of a static world that allows us to achieve that perfect balance, and maintain it forever. Instead, things change, tides move and people adjust. That is the way of the world.
In her book “Ask the Children”, Ellen Galinsky expressed it so well:
“We need to replace the notion of “balancing” work and family life. Balancing implies an either/or situation – a scale on which if one side is up, the other is down. It is thus a win/lose seesaw. Yet the research conducted for this book reveals that if work life is “up” or family life is “up” the other side is very likely to be up as well. This is not a zero-sum game in which giving to one side takes away from the other.”
Instead of the word “balance”, Ms. Galinsky suggested the word “navigating”. I love that word picture– I can just see myself at the helm of a boat, a crisp breeze flapping my hair back and howling in my ears. My husband and son are beside me, and we look to the future, navigating the boat together to make every moment count. Our work is part of the journey, as is our time together, and our personal time too. By being responsible navigators, and working together, it all becomes part of the plan, and possible!
What’s wonderful about the times we live in are the many diverse opportunities people have to navigate their lives creatively and in a way that works great for each of them, individually. Have you ever noticed that if you are in the process of buying a new car, all of a sudden all you see are different makes and models of cars and your choices seem endless. The options open themselves up to you because you are ready and willing to see them. The varied life options are out there, too, for work, personal and family time, if you are only willing and ready to see them.
So, I’ve decided to stop listening to the negatives. Now, when I hear people say things like: I don’t know how you do it……How in the world do you juggle it all?…..It must be really hard to find balance in your life…….How do you make the choice? I plan to proudly reply “I don’t make the choice. My family and I are navigating our way together. And so far, we’ve found a lot of joy in the journey!” To me, that is the difference between a Buick and a Mercedes, and frankly, who wants to settle for a Buick!
Sue Dickinson publishes the Unlimited Mom Newsletter, a newsletter dedicated to helping working moms recognize and value all facets of their lives…their families, their work and their personal development. Visit http://www.unlimitedmom.com for more information.
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FLEXIBILITY 101 THE BASICS
What are my options for flexible work?
excerpted from FlexJobs by career counselor Nancy Collamer, available for purchase at www.jobsandmoms.com
The options for flexible employment are growing all the time. So, before I get too involved with strategies for finding flexible employment, I’d like to make sure that we share a common understanding of what we mean by “flexible schedules.” Essentially, flexible schedules fall into two categories:
FLEXIBLE FULL TIME SCHEDULES: You work a standard full-time workweek and get compensated for a full-time job, but have some flexibility in your daily or weekly schedule.
REDUCED HOUR SCHEDULES: You work less than the standard forty-hour workweek and receive reduced (typically prorated) compensation and benefits.
Schedules considered full-time but flexible include:
Flextime – a flextime schedule allows you to shift your daily work hours within a normal workday. For example, instead of working the normal 9-5 day, you could choose to work from 7:00-3:00, so long as you put in eight hours and work during the company’s core business hours.
Compressed Workweek – A compressed work schedule enables full-time workers to work a 40-hour workweek in fewer than five days per week. For example, a Mom may opt to work four 10-hour days in exchange for an extra day off each week. This type of schedule is more prevalent in work environments requiring 24/7 coverage, such as hospitals or manufacturing environments.
Telecommuting – Telecommuting means that you get to work from a remote location (typically from a home-based office) for at least part of the workweek. Some telecommuters work full-days at home while others may go into the office for part of the day and work from home part of the day.
Flexibility on an “as needed” basis – Some Moms prefer a regular full-time schedule, but they still need to be able to adjust their schedules on an “as-needed” basis to accommodate all the teacher conferences, snow days, and early dismissals that pop up on a regular basis. Having the ability to respond to these needs without feeling too guilty is the flexibility many moms crave.
The advantages of flexible full time are many. The ability to exercise control over your work hours, coupled with the option of occasionally working from home, can change a job from being intolerable to one that is manageable and even enjoyable.
But if you really need (or want) to work fewer hours you may prefer a reduced hour schedule. Schedules that fall under the reduced hour schedule definition include:
Traditional Part-Time – A schedule where you work 20-30 hours per week (note: this is a norm. Some part-timers work as few as one day per week and others work closer to 35 hours). Your pay is prorated to the number of hours worked. Benefits eligibility for part-timers varies among employers.
Less than full-time but not quite part-time schedule – This is an interesting innovation that I’ve seen some companies use and I predict it will become an increasingly popular option among employers. Basically, the employer agrees to let the employee take a half-day off each week (or some similar arrangement) in exchange for a corresponding reduction in compensation. Having just those few hours for personal time each week, can make a significant difference in an employees ability to balance life and work. The reality is that most employees sneak in a few hours of personal time each week- this strategy legitimizes the situation and removes the stress typically involved with fitting in time for activities like doctors appointments and school plays.
Job sharing – Two people split the duties, hours, and compensation of a full-time job.
Telecommuting – You work some or all of your part-time schedule from a home-based office.
Temporary worker – Instead of working as an employee of a specific company, you are contracted out to a variety of companies as a worker for a temporary employment agency. The agency determines your rate of pay and processes your paycheck.
Nancy Collamer is a career counselor who’s private practice is devoted to the unique career needs of today’s moms. She has acted as an online career expert for the Oxygen Media Network and has been interviewed for numerous publications, including Redbook, Working Mother, Baby Talk, and more. For more information about Nancy’s telephone coaching, email info@jobsandmoms.com
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Tips for Asking for an Alternative Work Arrangement
By: Kirsten Ross http://www.Womans-Work.com
What alternative work arrangement would help you balance your work and family obligations? What would you like to do with your current role? Set some goals. Do some research. If you want to go part time, how will that impact your take home pay? Remember, there are variables other than paid hours that you need to consider. Will your dry cleaning bill go down? What will happen to your transportation costs? We have a great tool on our site that we have developed to help you determine what your current “Real” take home pay is and what it would be working an alternative work arrangement. Go to the Wage Comparisons tool to calculate some before and after wages. You may be pleasantly surprised!
Once you know what you are looking for, start putting together a presentation and formal written proposal (if you think you will need it).
Start by anticipating what the issues will be for your boss. Make a list and address each item in writing prior to the meeting. Be very specific. These items will become your proposal. I would not reference having children at home in the proposal. You can, however, talk about your desire to balance your rewarding career with your outside responsibilities.
Here are some topics to keep in mind when thinking about potential issues.
Purpose: retention, increased productivity, decreased burn-out, increased effectiveness
Schedule: Outline the days you plan to work from home and what hours and/or what your total schedule will be (full or part time). If job sharing, who will work what hours?
Communication: How will your co-workers and customers contact you while you are working from home? How will you communicate the change? Will your regular e-mail be available to you from home, phone, fax, cell phone. If you will work part time, will you be available for emergencies? Or, if you will job share, how will you and your partner communicate to provide seamless full time work?
Physical Set-up: What will your home office set up be? Will you have a separate room away from home and family distractions? Do you have a computer, fax, printer, etc. available? Do you have a separate phone line? What kind of access do you have to the internet if applicable, how will you access digital work files...can you dial in?
Evaluation: Set a timeframe during which you and your boss can re-evaluate whether or not the new schedule is working. 3-6 months with time scheduled for interim evaluation with opportunity to discuss any problems and resolve them. Indicate that either party can terminate the arrangement at the end of the trial period.
Job Duties: Make a list of the job duties that can be performed seamlessly from home. Provide details of how it will be transparent to customers where applicable. Or, if you will go part time or job share, how will work be redistributed?
Conclusion: List examples of any departments in your organization who already allow telecommuting, part time, job share, flex time. Indicate that you feel that you have the same work ethic, etc...and are committed to making this a success. Discuss that many organizations are now using this kind of work arrangement for recruitment and retention of high quality employees. Discuss the decreased stress and added productivity that will result from working from home (think of examples of distractions at work that will not be present at home.
Kirsten Ross is mother of two sons and is a Certified Human Resource Professional (SPHR) dedicated to helping women achieve more life balance and to transforming the design of work.
Visit Womans-Work.com at http://www.womans-work.com to search our revolutionary flexible work job board featuring more than 35,000 fresh work from home, part time, job share, flex time and telecommuting opportunities, search for a job share partner or read valuable career, life balance and family articles. You may also email her at mailto:KRoss@Womans-Work.com
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IT REALLY WORKS! ONE READER’S STORY
I work for a state university, so even though I have a master's degree and 8 years of experience, the pay is ridiculous. Moving to four 10-hour workdays has made all the difference in my job satisfaction. (Don't get me wrong; I'd still love to stay home with my two-year-old and baby due in June, but that's not an option financially.) The schedule is offered across the board so no one is resentful, and some people choose to come in at 7:00 and leave at 3:30 (a 30-minute lunch is required). Working from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. is gruelling, so I do nothing but bathe, feed, and snuggle with my toddler on those nights; however, the three-day weekends are priceless to us. Right now my husband's on the same schedule, so we even ride to work together, but at his office it is "unofficial". Our hope is that they continue to let us both have flexible hours for as long as we work at the college.
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Easy as Pie!
By Tammy Harrison
I cannot tell you how many people have called me, written to me and stopped me in social situations to ask about finding work as a home-based working mom. Easy as pie?
"This is the hardest job in the world" I often reply, "but, well worth every minute of it!"
I had a discussion with a single mother recently, and she informed me that she had felt guilty for nearly 10 years while she worked outside of the home and left her daughter in daycare. After having a second child and going through a divorce, she said the past two years have truly opened her eyes to the realization that she is now (and always has been) doing what is best for herself and her children by working and following a career path.
This discussion made me really think about my home-based expectations and the reality of my decisions.
Six years ago I was pregnant with my first child. I quit working a couple of months before she was due to take some time for myself. Without a thought or a plan, I became a home-based working mom in a matter of weeks when my previous employer asked for my assistance. Since then, business has boomed and I have made a transformation from a mom who took on odd word processing jobs to a thriving business owner. I never had any expectations of this home-based lifestyle. I never looked at the reality of my decision because I was having too much fun!
Is this the same for other moms?
Many women struggle with the kids verses career aspects of motherhood and find that a home-based lifestyle would solve many work-related problems. When a work from home goal is set and put into action, the expectations verses the reality may surprise you:
"I expected to learn a little bit." Says Janet Drez, author of Putting the Pieces Together (http://www.aperfectsolution.com). "Reality is that I have grown and been stretched in more ways than I could ever have imagined. I am not the same person I was when I started. I'm a much more confident and outgoing woman, my faith has grown, I've become a better time manager, more flexible, and more spontaneous than I ever would have been." Additionally, Janet says "Sometimes the expectation versus reality isn't always negative!"
What about the freedom that accompanies working from home? Joyce Scott, CEO of SuperbSpeakers.com (http://www.superbspeakers.com) states "The great thing is that I love to have meetings over a meal I made at home (and) take walks in nearby parks while discussing business with clients and suppliers." She also takes the time to share her business with her children, "…and I enjoy the fact that my sons visit me and learn more about my business so they (can) help me."
The final consideration is the financial aspects of quitting a job in lieu of working from home. "Many outsiders may assume that those of us who work from home are probably giving up a lot, particularly in the earnings department, and this couldn't be farther from the truth! I make an excellent living as a freelance writer from home and I have the job flexibility to be available for my three-year-old son." States writer Amy Bowles (amybowles@aol.com).
Is it really possible that so many women have conquered the kids vs. career questions and the reality of this decision has exceeded their expectations?
I believe we can conclude that the answer to that question is a definite YES. It is never as easy as pie to quit a job and open your own business. The struggles along the way can make or break you. But, as moms, we have a quest to give the very best that we can to our children. I believe we also have the same desire to nurture our businesses in the same manner. Being home-based is the best lifestyle for me and my children and for scores of other moms. Facing the reality of our home-based expectations, and finding success as a sometimes-surprising result makes a home-based decision the ice cream on the pie!
Copyright 2000 Tammy Harrison. Tammy Harrison is a wife and mother of four children (7, 5, 3, 1) as well as a home-based working mom. She has a degree from Mizzou in Consumer Economics. She is the Independent Creative Representative for Home-Based Working Moms (http://www.hbwm.com), email TammyH@jdharrison.com.
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