Work flexibly

Balancing family and career is a challenge for many parents. One way to achieve a better work-life balance is to work flexibly. But what exactly does that mean? What opportunities do modern working time models offer and how can you organize your work perfectly? In this article, you will find out how you can use the advantages of flexible working models to take the pressure off everyday family life.

An appointment with the paediatrician for a check-up, a childcare facility that is closed at short notice, a sudden fever in the morning: everyday family life with children is always good for a surprise and requires a lot of spontaneity and organizational talent. Without a certain amount of flexibility at work, parents can quickly reach their limits. Fortunately, digitalization has greatly changed our working world and enables employees in many industries to work at different locations and times. This cannot be implemented equally in all professional fields, but where flexibility is possible, it brings great advantages for the work-life balance.

Laptops, online tools and digital work processes: Many employees can access content and relevant data around the clock from almost anywhere. This enables family-friendly working models, such as home office or mobile working, flexitime or trust-based working hours. The various options offer parents, in consultation with their employer, valuable scope for shaping their work organization. Family tasks such as childcare can then be organized more easily and adapted to individual daily routines. Unforeseen events become less daunting, as parents can reschedule more quickly if a child suddenly falls ill. And ultimately, less stress leads to greater job satisfaction and therefore better work results.

Flexible working offers many opportunities, but also new challenges. Without clear boundaries, the lines between work and family time can quickly become blurred. These tips will help you balance work and family life:

• A fixed workplace at home makes it easier to concentrate on work and switch between work and family mode.
• Dividing the workload into fixed working hours helps to separate work and leisure time.
• Ensure reliability. A flexible work location requires the same form of availability and conscientiousness as on-site work.
• Set yourself daily priorities. What absolutely has to be done today? Plan realistically and leave room for the unforeseen.
• Communicate working hours, scope of work and work results openly and transparently with your employer in order to stay in regular contact.
• Make time for family appointments and children just as binding in your calendar as work tasks and duties.
• Keep an open calendar so that managers and colleagues know when you are available.
• Use quieter phases of the day for challenging tasks. Perhaps concentrated work works particularly well at lunchtime when the child is asleep or in the early evening.
• Flexible working does not mean that everything always goes perfectly. Learn to accept that this is okay.
• Build up a network for spontaneous assignments: Whether it's grandparents, babysitters or childminders - it's reassuring to know you have a plan B behind you if your daily plans have to be overturned unexpectedly.
• Take good care of yourself: Recharge your own batteries regularly so that you can enjoy coping with your family and job in the long term.

With the right organization and a portion of serenity, you can achieve a balance between family and work even in stressful phases.

Open communication and a high level of trust are also required on the part of the employer in order to create good structures for working together. Agreements and a regular exchange with the employer or line manager and the team create transparency and clarity. If these conditions are met, a flexible working time model is a win-win situation for all sides.