Productivity tips for working at home with kids - A guide for employers
During the "Stay at Home" orders, someone said that he always made a daily work plan with a clear list of priorities to get the job done effectively. He is responsible for many services or feature designs, for example, the search box, the application homepage, the transformation of the vendor's application, and others. On the other hand, he also acts as a father with one child.
There is also a story of a mother who worked from home during the pandemic. She had the opportunity to be closer to her family during the "Stay at Home" orders.
Dividing the time between work and household matters is very important. As an employer, finding ways to make this easier will position you as a great place to work. Use this guide to refresh yourself on what makes working from home productive and how you can help your team.
Establish Routines
The psychology expert said that during the "Stay at Home" orders, we must prepare children's routines that were not much different from typical days. For example, we must keep them waking up on time in the morning to start a home study session according to school hours as usual.
Your employees have multiple responsibilities. Knowing the age ranges of the children of your employees can help you better prepare. Schedule zoom calls during nap times or subscribe to a service like Teacher Pay Teachers to provide your employees with things that can occupy their children's time and let them focus on work.
As children go back to school, consider how to make working from home more flexible so that parents can accompany their children to and from school this year.
Take advantage of technology
We can use the video conferencing application to coordinate and discuss team challenges and developments. Communication is vital when your team is working from home. Video conferencing will help you learn who has a dedicated workspace and what their families need so that they can pay attention at work. Just don't overdo it with the zoom calls.
In addition to improving communication, technology can also make it easier to find everything, including children's toys. Give your employees subscriptions to services like KiwiCo or online platforms like SkillShare to help keep their children occupied during working hours.
Run Communications
Communication and the presence of parents are essential for maintaining an emotional bond with the child, so some leisure chatter is required. It is also necessary to explain to children, so they better understand the condition of their parents who are working.
Employee assistance programs can help employees create plans that work for their families. Partner with local teachers, HR professionals, and daycare centers to develop easy-to-use talking points or games to explain to kids what mommy or daddy is doing online all day.
Make Activity Variations
You should already be offering breaks and lunches to your employees. Please encourage them to use these times as family time. They can take 15 minutes to play a game with a toddler, prep dinner with their teenager during a 30-60 minutes lunch, or just cuddle on the couch with their spouse for a little while.
Encouraging this will drive the importance of work/life balance.
By taking advantage of some of the tips above, you can maintain your employees' productivity even though they have children at home with them. You may even alleviate some of their stress.
