It hasn't gotten any easier second time around
Thousands of Australian parents are once again finding themselves juggling their jobs and family life in lockdown. With Sydney’s stay-at-home direction set to continue until at least Friday, and the school holidays in full swing, parents are certainly feeling the brunt of it.
While Sydneysiders have experienced a lockdown before, second time around may be feeling more difficult. Many employees are already exhausted and burnt out from the demands of the last 12 months. On top of that, the novelty of Zoom quizzes and virtual happy hours has worn off. This time, we’re watching friends and relatives in the UK and the US return to normality thanks to their vast vaccination rates but here in Australia, a life without lockdowns still feels like a long way off.
Research by Asana found during the pandemic last year Australia had one of the highest levels of burnout among employees globally. Almost four in five Aussies (77%) suffered burnout, which topped the global average by 7%. The relatively quick economic bounceback and the blurring of work/life boundaries from remote work have been blamed for the worrying statistics.
Speaking to HRD, PwC’s Director of Health & Wellbeing, Sharon Ponniah, said the key message for working parents right now is flexibility.
“It’s not going to be one-size-fits-all for every domestic situation,” she said. “I think there's a combination of workplace policies that can be put in place to allow people to reschedule or reconfigure the scheduling of their day.”
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That may involve employees breaking up their workday to fit around their children’s schedule or taking shifts with their partner. Ponniah said with two young children at home, she and her partner are splitting the day into two shifts, allowing one to work in the morning and the other in the afternoon. But even the best laid plans sometimes go askew, and her team know she may not be able to transition into working mode on time every day.
That’s why approaching these situations with empathy and understanding is the other vital element, Ponniah said. Firstly, acknowledging the dual roles of working parents can go a long way to opening up the conversation and making sure those employees know they’re supported. After all, these aren’t normal circumstances working parents have found themselves in. It shouldn’t be up to parents alone to navigate the juggling act between work and childcare, all while confined to their homes.
“Empathetic communication is key and it’s about having a consistent message to say ‘We are here to listen, we are here to help. We're going to attempt to create some flexibility but also minimise some of the barriers at play during this period of time’,” Ponniah said.
Coming up with a playbook of frequently asked questions and answers enables managers to deal with likely requests quickly. With the recent lockdown coming into place almost overnight, it’s important for people leaders to feel they can react quickly and confidently.
Questions may include: Can I come into the office if I need to? Will I need to wear a mask? Are we able to take pandemic leave? Am I allowed to work outside of normal hours?
Ponniah said some organisations may be in the position to offer pandemic leave to staff, which would likely come as a welcome relief for working parents. HR must consider how much leave to offer, who would qualify, and how requests should be made.
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At the start of the first wave, many organisations went above and beyond to provide virtual workouts, healthy eating tips, meditation sessions and more. Just because we’ve been here before, don’t forget to communicate the important fundamentals of a healthy mind and a healthy body.
“There are blurred lines around what you do in the home versus what you do in the office when those locations are one and the same,” Ponniah said. “But there is a real need for breaks, for stepping away from your screen and disconnecting by changing room or by going out for a walk. It’s also so important to get regular exercise and enough sleep.
“I think now it’s really critical to reinforce those messages, as simple as they might feel.”
While policy may be decided by HR, implementing flexibility will be the role of managers, so they play a key part in working with employees who are also looking after children in lockdown. Encourage managers to ask team members how they are coping and what help they need in their current circumstances.
It may mean reducing the number of meetings they need to attend, pushing back a deadline or reallocating resources to make sure they don’t become overwhelmed. And remember, acting with kindness and empathy when the going gets tough won’t be forgotten when normality returns.
Women take a lion’s share of the caring responsibilities within households and during a lockdown, that fact is even more significant. Ponniah said HR leaders and managers should consider the gender of their employees and be mindful of the fact that women will most likely bear the brunt of childcaring during a lockdown.
“If you think about it women are more likely be working part time, more likely to have insecure work, and they're also more likely to be single parents. If we look at this with a broader workplace view, gender has to be a lens that we look through to assess the disproportionate impact on women and what additional support can be made available for females in the workforce,” she said.
