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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder about your WFH jobs?

70 replies

rhaenyra01 · 26/04/2023 11:08

I have a 2 month old daughter and I'm currently on mat leave. At the moment I work in the NHS in a clinical role, while I've been on mat leave I've been thinking about the benefits of looking for a new WFH job so that I can be with my daughter more. I've worked in lots of different jobs over the years and although I like my job at the moment, my daughter is more important to me than having a "dream job". As long as it doesn't make me miserable, and pays the bills, I'd be happy!

Those of you who WFH - what is your job? Do you enjoy it? Does it enable you to spend more time with your kids?

OP posts:
updin · 26/04/2023 11:13

I suppose we have more time due to no commute but childcare is still needed for all working hours, especially pre school age.

Christmascracker0 · 26/04/2023 11:14

I work in tax and work from home. I would say most jobs in accountancy or finance can be done from home.

Just please please please do not think you can work from home in place of getting childcare!

swanling · 26/04/2023 11:15

Spend more time with your kids when? While you're working? Or instead of commuting?

Inthesamesinkingboat · 26/04/2023 11:17

I work from home but there’s no way I could do my job if the kids were around. One of my colleagues was most put out when she was told that she either started to come back to the office or put the kids in nursery. If you just want to avoid the commute time fine- but you can’t do both WFH and childcare

NoraLuka · 26/04/2023 11:19

It saves time on commuting but you definitely can’t work without childcare if you have little kids. Basically if they’re too young to leave at home on their own they’ll need childcare, unless it’s just for an hour after school or something and they can entertain themselves.

I love wfh but it can get lonely so I’ve started volunteering so I can get out and see people a bit more. I’m a translator/writer.

ErrolTheDragon · 26/04/2023 11:20

I write scientific software, I've wfh since 1995.

When I had dd and ended maternity leave, we employed a nanny - so I did get more time with dd in lunchtime and tea breaks and because of not wasting time commuting.

If your household income isn't sufficient to employ a nanny (or maybe au pair) then I'm not sure you'd get much more time with your child.

When dd started school, I dropped to half time as that was the only way we could deal with school hours, so that did give me more time with her.

SweetSakura · 26/04/2023 11:20

Are you meaning to WFH to save a commute? You will still need childcare

Sissynova · 26/04/2023 11:21

while I've been on mat leave I've been thinking about the benefits of looking for a new WFH job so that I can be with my daughter more.

Unless you’re purely talking about a long commute how would you spend more time with your daughter by working from home?
It’s in the name, you’re still expected to work, just from home. You can’t look after a baby while working so the baby would still need to be in childcare.

CC4712 · 26/04/2023 11:21

I previously worked in NHS and private clinics in patient facing roles for years. I was lucky to stumble across a job in the civil service- solely WFH. It does really depend on the department and area you are in though. My boss and team are lovely, but I know other areas are really short staffed and stressed out. Try looking up civil service jobs or public health roles- some of which are WFH. I've often seen PIP assessment types roles where you review medical reports etc, but have no first hand experience of those roles.

I cannot imagine commuting now, or the cost of doing so!

Toottooot · 26/04/2023 11:26

My commute from home to both work and nursery is pretty much the same so I don’t think it gives me any more time with my child. Pretending to WFH with a 3 year old in the hoose would be nigh on impossible.

Auxbutteschaumont · 26/04/2023 11:26

I work in engineering on the documentation side and WFH. I get to spend more time with toddler DD because there’s no commute, and my work are quite flexible in that if she is sick or childcare falls through at the last minute I don’t necessarily have to take the day off. But in those instances the work still needs to be done so I’d likely do it at night, and if it was for anything more than a day I’d have to take leave.

I don’t get to spend more time with DD usually during the day because I’m working, in fact if DH is off with her I practically kick them out of the house so I can work without her trying to come to my office to see me.

meatbaseddessert · 26/04/2023 11:27

Consulting
Banking
Insurance
Law
Any desk job these days can be done partly from home.
None of them will allow you to look after a child during your working hours though.

BagelAndMarmite · 26/04/2023 11:29

I have an arrangement where I go in when I deem it necessary, but I typically choose to go in 1-2 days a week.
However, I've worked in this discipline (business development), in this industry (professional services), for 18 years and have a proven track record, and that's why I've been able to secure this arrangement.

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 26/04/2023 11:29

I work in Information a security, I can't work while looking after my child though, although she's 8yo now so can keep herself entertained and fix a snack straight after school. I still need to use holiday clubs for when I can't get annual leave.

GinnyBee · 26/04/2023 11:31

I'm a bookkeeper and WFH. My 1-year-old goes to nursery on the days I work because it would be impossible to get anything done while looking after him. All kids are different, but I think in most cases it would mean compromising either the quality of your work or the quality of your parenting, and often both.

Rainydaysgetmedown · 26/04/2023 11:31

I work from home. This morning I've already had 2 meetings and done 2 appraisals. I'm going into another hours meeting soon and have a 2 hours meeting at 3. In between that I have to do all my emails and write up the 2 appraisals. I am working from home, but actually working (apart from now, quick breaK). My kids are older but even then it's not ideal when I'm home and they're also home. It wouldn't be possible in any way shape or form for me to do this job without proper full day childcare if they were babies

Secondsop · 26/04/2023 11:32

I'm in a director-level legal role, and my organisation has hybrid working (2 days / 40% in the office, the rest at home) for most people. As others have said, you'll still need childcare for your working hours anyway but I find my WFH days enable me to save on commuting time and see the kids off in the morning, and in the evening to move from work to dinner-prep, and often to stop work at 4 and then pick up again later. My husband looks after my 2-year-old 1.5 days a week which does enable me to see her in breaks/lunchtime. Also when my older children come back from school, there's wraparound childcare (nanny or my husband) but I do get to see them when they come home. My colleagues, who are lovely, are used to any 3:30 meetings having a couple of little faces appear behind me on their way to the loo.

I'm very involved in developing a family-friendly culture at work to try to influence ways of working that support those of us with young families who want to continue to contribute our very best work and also to help address gender pay gap issues - such as enabling people to take a late lunchbreak for a school pick-up for older children that need to be picked up by car but can then be unsupervised at home, without this requiring the employee to reduce their paid hours to do so. WFH also enables me to go to a school assembly and then be logged on before 10am, something that would be impossible on an in-office day. I would say the right organisational culture is as important as the right type of work - I have friends doing finance/legal work in other places where the in-office expectations are much higher. But also, I do have the privilege of my own nice office space at home so I'm not trying to work around the hustle and bustle of family life.

Fleur405 · 26/04/2023 11:34

I can work from home when it suits me (solicitor) but I still have to go out in the morning to do nursery drop off and then come back home (rather than doing so on the way to the office) - the benefits to me are that I get to do a bit of housework/laundry/meal prep before work and at lunchtime but my daughter is still at nursery all day. I guess if you have a long commute it can cut down the time your child is at childcare (or as a pp said you could employ a nanny so still see your DC during the day)

TedLasto · 26/04/2023 11:35

I work in higher education (professional services). I go in to the office once a month or so. I have been here a long time which helped secure the flexible working arrangement. For me it means I can do school drop off and am here for dinner time (previously had a very long commute), but children go to holiday club when they are off school and I don't have annual leave. Old enough now (primary age) that they can be left to entertain themselves after school until dinner time. When very little they would need to be in after school club. But it really, really helps not having the 2,5 hr each way commute.

fliesdrivingmecrazy · 26/04/2023 11:37

If you want a job from home without needing childcare, how about being a childminder?

GeekyThings · 26/04/2023 11:37

Engineering - it's definitely given me more time with my kids, as my commute was upwards of 3 hours a day! So I get to see them when they leave for school and when they come home, I can pop out to pick up or drop off if needed, etc etc.

I also love the job, it's enabled me to get qualifications and experience I would never have gotten going into the office daily, not only due to the time saved but also the people I've had a chance to interact with, and choose location no longer being important. It's been a game changer!

Kids still need daycare when they're little though, you can't really work with very small children about unless someone else is looking after them. Mine are school age, so we just mutually ignore each other while I'm working, lol.

Sjan99 · 26/04/2023 11:37

I work from home most days. My 7yr old is in childcare until 6 after school.

My job in very stressful sometimes, so having no long/stressful commute makes it slightly better.
please don’t assume WFH = no childcare.

I work in tech and I’m in calls most day + got work to do.

SittingNextToIt · 26/04/2023 11:41

rhaenyra01 · 26/04/2023 11:08

I have a 2 month old daughter and I'm currently on mat leave. At the moment I work in the NHS in a clinical role, while I've been on mat leave I've been thinking about the benefits of looking for a new WFH job so that I can be with my daughter more. I've worked in lots of different jobs over the years and although I like my job at the moment, my daughter is more important to me than having a "dream job". As long as it doesn't make me miserable, and pays the bills, I'd be happy!

Those of you who WFH - what is your job? Do you enjoy it? Does it enable you to spend more time with your kids?

It sounds like you are looking for jobs which you can (apparently) do whilst having a baby/toddler at home?

I am sorry but that's not your standard WFH job. We work from home 70% of the time. I am a Professor, and he is in industry. There is no way in hell we could do our work with children at home. Kids are in school/nursery and have had FT childcare from 6 months old. What WFH enables is - lunchtime dg walks, quick household chores like switching on wash, putting dishes away, exercise, and yes, commuting cut out to spend with kids.

But what you are after, I think, is something quite different - where you are apparently working but actually staying home with your child. Sorry - can't help.

PanettoneMoly · 26/04/2023 11:46

Finance. I go into the office 1 day a week so WFH the remainder of the time, means I get ~ 2 hours a day more with DD on those days because I don’t need to commute. As others have said, I still need childcare so she’s in nursery 8:30-5:30pm during my working hours. I’m not sure it feels like an extra 2 hours though, especially the morning time which is just a rush of breakfast & getting ready.

Wiennetta · 26/04/2023 11:47

Wow. So many snippy replies!

The OP didn’t say she wasn’t going to have childcare….!

For many people with long commutes, WFH saves a lot of time. Plus it’s not just the commute, it’s getting ready and up and out to get to the office - making lunch to take or ironing clothes for a smart office etc.

I don’t live in London any more but I was commuting an hour each way at least, which is pretty normal for London. Often trains were delayed and it could take me a couple of hours to get home.

So yes not commuting saves a massive amount of time for many people, and it also saves a lot of stress - I finish work at home and am ready to do other stuff like make dinner/chores, I’m not exhausted from a crappy commute where I have to stand in a cramped train carriage. So many parents worry and stress about getting back to nursery in time before it closes when the transport is playing up.

Anyway @Secondsop as a healthcare professional you may be interested in working for a healthcare regulator or professional body. There will be general roles available where your experience is useful but also some roles which require professional registration (eg case examiners).