Juggling kids & your job during summer

The prospect of spending quality time with your family should be a wonderful and exciting prospect – we know how quickly children grow up – but how can we make the most of the time with a full-time job?

• Flexible working – talk to your employer about flexitime. Is it possible to compress your working week into three or four days? Can you start earlier and finish earlier so you can spend the afternoon with the children?
• Remote working – does your job allow you to work from home? Can you take your laptop and work on the beach? Can you write a report in the park? If you’ve never broached the subject with your boss before, it’s definitely worth a chat. According to the Modern Families Index (2017) workplaces that nurture a work-life balance will reap the benefits of a ‘more loyal, motivated and productive workforce, and the costs of absenteeism, stress and increased staff turnover that results from inflexible workplaces can be avoided.’
• Book annual leave – we don’t suggest you save all your holiday up and book during the summer. That’s not fair on your colleagues who may get refused their time off, and chances are, it would get refused anyway. But a week here or there could be just what you need.
• Call on family – If you’re lucky enough to have family living nearby, if they have the opportunity, they’ll likely love to spend time with your children. 65% of all grandparents in the UK regularly look after grandchildren. Summer camps/holiday activities – research local clubs that you can drop your children off before work and collect after. They’ll have a great time and you’ll appreciate hearing about their day over dinner.