To think WFH permanently is a game changer?

[MiaMarshmallows]

For working parents as it saves on childcare costs as well as commuting etc?
DP been told he can wfh indefinitely and it's going to improve his lifestyle so much more. For everyone saying he will be outsourced, not a chance. He is very specialised in what he does and earns a very good wage for it.
One good thing to come out of all this at least.

I can't finish work at 4 every day and I don't even work full time. Who works full time and can pick up a child at 4.30 every day?
If we are BOTH WFH we'd save on breakfast club as the DCs are in different schools. But if only one of us is, and we have to be in for 9, um well, actually that's not possible as one of them has no wraparound care at his school.

@drspouse I work full time and can nearly always work around school pick up and drop off. I do the rest of the work when they are in bed/ doing clubs etc

Drspouse - me and my DH can absolutely pick up a kid at 430pm if needed. Me by starting at 8am (DH to do school run) and finishing at 4pm for instance. DH by taking a break. He doesn't have fixed hours anyway nobody care when he works as long as the work is done. I can also arrange to take a break between 4pm and 5pm if need be and work a bit after.
I used to have a day where I'd start at 9am, work till 3pm with no break then have a break at 3pm to pick up the kids and then finish off my work.
It really depends on the job and the company (and the kids)

[quote KeyboardWorriers]@drspouse I work full time and can nearly always work around school pick up and drop off. I do the rest of the work when they are in bed/ doing clubs etc[/quote]
I assume you don't have meetings or things like training to deliver to people who are there for a specific time?
If I have a meeting at 9 or 4 it's no good me saying "oh can you do it after the DCs are in bed?"

Or younger kids that same every 30 mins after you've technically got them to bed of an evening.

Drspouse - it really depends on the job. I had to deliver training and just scheduled it accordingly.
DH has plenty of meetings and similarly organises them around the kids when necessary. It's give and take. Some of his meetings are at 9pm mind (international). Really it's not that complex if the job is suited to this flexibility and the company on board. For me it was just a question of moving my lunch hour really, I was around over lunch time to help but offline between 3pm and 4pm. No big deal. If there was an all day training or something we'd arrange something of course.

Who works full time and can pick up a child at 4.30 every day?

A lot of people have flexi hours or share the load with their partner.

@drspouse I am generally able to make sure the meetings can happen in the hours I am available. DH can usually cover the few meetings that aren't within my control.

A decent chunk of my work is document based. So I cram all the meetings into school hours so far as possible and do drafting/document review/emails/research in the evenings.

I'm not suggesting everyone can do this, just explaining how some people manage it.

oblada Term time won’t make a difference to us but holiday care certainly could as you’ve suggested. For 8-6 near me, it’s nursery level fees. The 9-3 camps are normally about £30. £11 a day sounds amazing!

However, I have had a key worker place but found it very hard to basically ignore my children for 2-3hours at the end of the day. I personally wouldn’t choose to do it again with younger ones. For older primary it gives loads more options but not sure it’s that desirable for younger ones.

I hope WFH becomes the norm for jobs that can be done from home.

I don’t think it’s compatible with childcare long term but it will cut down on commuting, stress, costs and will improve the lives of many. My husband has been infinitely less stressed by saving up to 4h a day commuting.

I’ve been told this week that I can now wfh on a permanent basis, full time. It’s easy for me though as I don’t have school age children to add to the mix. If I was a lot younger I would hate wfh, but it feels right for me as i’ve done the office thing, and the work socialising events, and I’m just happy to now be at home. I have friends and family who I think will enhance my life enough for me to not need an office environment. I think it depends on what stage in your life you are as to how much wfh suits your lifestyle.

@HollowTalk

It can be great if you have the space, but tons of people have been WFH locked in a small bedroom.

And how will anyone make new friends?

I agree your isolated and this is very unhealthy. You won’t be able to get to know new colleagues or barely notice who leaves your company.

@Dustyhedge

oblada Term time won’t make a difference to us but holiday care certainly could as you’ve suggested. For 8-6 near me, it’s nursery level fees. The 9-3 camps are normally about £30. £11 a day sounds amazing!

However, I have had a key worker place but found it very hard to basically ignore my children for 2-3hours at the end of the day. I personally wouldn’t choose to do it again with younger ones. For older primary it gives loads more options but not sure it’s that desirable for younger ones.

I know 11quids a day is fab! It's a sports club and it's fab! There are some other similar clubs around 15-17quids per day. So still pretty good. A full day in the holiday club is around 45-50quids as I recall. So it massively help!

It really depends on the age and siblings etc. My oldest is 9yrs old and was 8yrs old when I had this arrangement in place (not every day though, just a couple of days per week, the rest was aftershool club) and her sister was 5yrs old and they loved having 2hours at home to play how they wanted etc. If I'd had just my younger one or a more needy 8yrs old (I know some parents with kids of the same age as my oldest who cannot work from home with them around) then it wouldn't have worked.
It was actually rly nice to see them finally properly use the toys and stuff we have at home after years of pretty much full time childcare and therefore only the week-end (usually v busy too.)to relax.

Having people working together in a workplace isn't just about "keeping an eye on them". Collaboration, idea and information sharing and ongoing training are so much better when people can interact naturally face to face during the course of a working day. I hope - and think - that there will be greater flexibility for all after this. However I think many people need the stimulation from being around a team of other people at least some of the time, and I think the younger generation would be very negatively impacted if the people they needed to learn from were all at the other end of an internet connection.

@RedcurrantPuff

How does it save on childcare costs? I used to wfh half my week when my kids were younger and the kids still needed to be in childcare. Now they are older they don’t need childcare irrespective of where I work. He’s paid to work not babysit.

For me, as for many other people travelling into work from a commuter town, around 3 hours' childcare per day was just to cover the commute. 3 hours per day x 2 children x is a lot of money.

Unfortunately I have no control over large meetings that I'm obliged to attend. And like @Dustyhedge it doesn't work for anyone if I ignore the DCs at home.

Who works full time and can pick up a child at 4.30 every day

🙋‍♀️
I used to when my children were at an age when they needed picking up.

@notacooldad

Who works full time and can pick up a child at 4.30 every day

🙋‍♀️
I used to when my children were at an age when they needed picking up.

Did you not take a lunch hour, and just pretend you were at work for the last hour? I can't set my own timetable to anywhere near that extent so taking an hour off every day would be seen as part time.

Not everyone works 9-5. I work 8-4.

Do you use breakfast club then for DCs?
(I can't really see even my non-SEN DC being able to get herself up, dressed and out for school without minute by minute input until beyond the age when she can safely walk to school, in fact. So even if she left for school on her own at 8.30 I couldn't start work at 8).

I am happy to pay for wraparound childcare (mine are primary), but I can see how having a parent at home can be a saving for secondary school especially for those awkward years between 11-14, where they will not want babying, but you still want to know where they are!

I get a lot of interaction at home between clients, cats and my mentor group. Pre-Covid I would also rent an office hub space for a change of scene, when I wanted to get work done on my business instead of in it. The difference between a formal workplace and your own set up is that you need to find social routes that mesh with you. One of my friends swears by her gym lunch hour whilst others would be the first out of the door for drinks.

I have seen the flip side of the WFH deal; the twenty-something in their bedroom juggling WiFi with four others in a shared house. They need the space of an office.

Did you not take a lunch hour, and just pretend you were at work for the last hour?
I can't set my own timetable to anywhere near that extent so taking an hour off every day would be seen as part time.
I never needed to take any time off ( only swopped things around for special assemblies, sports days etc.)
Every job I've had, including my current one , except one ,I've had paid lunch breaks. We dont get a set lunch break just break off when ever it is convenient although in some situation a few of us will spot a good time to eat together and agree to do the buttie or KFC run! Same with other breaks.

How can you WFH and care for children at the same time?

I can see there is a saving to be made in the "old enough to amuse themselves happily for quite a while but not old enough to be left all day" stage during school holidays.

My DC pretty much played out all day during every school holiday from age 8/9 onwards. With a parent working at home, just checking up every so often, this would avoid the need for holiday childcare altogether. It would also be a huge bonus for the early secondary school age where formal childcare is very limited but many parents don't want to leave their children on their own all day.

But I don't think some people's childcare costs should factor into company based wfh decisions!