Flexible Childcare Solutions: A Guide for Working Mothers Balancing Home and Work Life

We live in times when mothers find themselves devoting significant amounts of time and energy in balancing their roles at home and in the workplace. It’s a given that they would look to the companies they work at, to make their lives easier.

The Covid pandemic literally changed the entire perception of people towards work in general. It’s only natural, then, to see a paradigm shift in the general point of view of most working mothers, vis a vis getting that much-needed flexibility when it comes to procuring the very best childcare solutions.

Working mothers need to bear these key considerations in mind, regarding Childcare solutions they need to avail of, to make their lives simpler.

Their home environment. This involves who in their home might be able to care for their little ones, including their proximity to a day care centre.
The work schedule. This could be the schedule of a partner or even extended family member. After all, caregiving responsibilities have to be shared.
Work responsibilities. How many hours are mothers expected to work and what the flexibility their employer might extend to them with regard to their working hours, might be.
Available Community childcare options. Here one must take into account any potential conflicting schedules that might crop up in instances of older children attending school.

Pain points parents face when looking at Childcare solutions

Parents find themselves pondering over these issues, when looking at day care choices.

Affordability. Needless to say, this one tops the list. You might have chosen the best Childcare option, but the exorbitant rates might be throwing you off.
Quality. It’s hard to discern the most safe and supportive day care, no matter what those reviews might say.
Convenience. Is the child care centre close to the office? Do the hours of operation match the working mothers’ schedules?
Accessibility. The harsh truth remains: there are not enough childcare centers to adequately serve the population.

Flexible Childcare Solutions to Support Working Mothers

The need of the hour is understanding the pain points of all mothers out there, with a view to addressing their needs. Namely, bolstering those childcare solutions with a sense of flexibility, that will make it easier for mothers to return to the workplace.

Providing a childcare subsidy to employees
‘It’s all about the money’, as they say. Mothers need to gravitate towards companies that provide childcare subsidies to their employees. Just like healthcare is one of the popular benefits that companies offer their employees, childcare benefits, too, are becoming increasingly popular when it comes to enticing potential or even current employees who have children or are considering having children, in the near future.

Granting flexible work arrangements
Gone are the days when one was expected to sit at a desk from 9 to 5, even if they had done more than their share of work for the day. Mothers should look for companies that proffer a sense of flexibility with regards to giving workers freedom over when and where they can fulfil their job responsibilities. These flexible work arrangements are not limited to only teleworking; they also ensure protected long-term leave so that employees can care for their children when they fall sick.

No discrimination
Companies must provide that vital sense of parental support to working mothers, by ensuring they do not fall prey to the kind of discrimination several women are subjected to in the workplace the world over, every single day. This discrimination becomes even worse when it comes to things like pregnancy, family responsibilities and motherhood, especially where the matters of wages or career opportunities come into question.

Getting appropriate parental leave
This one is right up there at the top of the list of Flexible daycare solutions companies offer working mothers. Every new mother needs to spend an adequate amount of time with her baby, and companies that offer a minimum of 6 months’ maternity leave are the only ones that are worth looking at, in this aspect. They know well that if they care sufficiently enough for working mothers, the mothers in turn will give their very best when they return to the workplace, rejuvenated and raring to go.

Maximizing work-life balance
There’s plenty of stigma in the workplace around vacation days, even when employees are most clearly entitled to them. Companies that offer the best childcare solutions recognize this, and encourage their employees to use up all their vacation days instead of simply letting them accumulate so they can look like a model employee in the eyes of their superiors. The best companies respect the fact that, like everyone else, working mothers, too, deserve a fine work-life balance.

A positive breastfeeding environment
The last thing working mothers need is to be placed in an environment that is critical of breastfeeding. Companies that support breastfeeding through paid breastfeeding breaks, ample lactation facilities, and those that harbour an atmosphere that is generally supportive of breastfeeding, are the best choices for working mothers.

Managers trained to talk to working mothers
It might sound really simple, but there’s really far more to it than it seems. When managers talk to working mothers, they garner a newfound sense of appreciation for the work that they do, simply by listening to how hard it is for them to juggle taking care of their kids while at the same time, doing the very best they possibly can, at their jobs. It also helps them cultivate a sense of empathy for them and treat them with a newfound sense of respect. This helps to greatly strengthen that manager-employee relationship.

The pandemic has truly uncovered the grim difficulties faced by working mothers who are faced with the delicate task of keeping that work-life balance on track. At EuroKids we empathize strongly with them on this point, and strive continually each and every day to ensure their children are in those ‘safe hands’ they envisage leaving them in, when they set off for work.