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In recent months, working from home has become the ‘new normal’. For many working parents and pawrents, it has never been so hard to navigate through a working day.
With this in mind, we have provided 12 tips for parents and pet owners to help maintain happiness and productivity.
Children & Pets
Whether you are working from home with a dog, cat or a child, a number of our tips are applicable to children of the human and fur variety.
Maintain the usual routine as much as possible
Due to the impactful nature of the Coronavirus outbreak, it is very easy for your child and/or pet’s routine to become derailed. However, where possible, we recommend that you stick with your usual routine to maintain some normality, or at least create a new routine for all of your sanity.
Breaking a routine can be particularly difficult for younger children and animals, resulting in stress and unwelcome behaviour. The last thing you want is for this to happen during an important meeting or on a day where there are important deadlines to be met.
Locate your desk where you can work and supervise
As discussed in our remote working tips, setting up a workspace away from areas of relaxation is important. However, if you have young children or a mischievous four-legged friend, hiding away in your home office may not be practical (unless you are working from home with a baby, of course!).
To maintain self-discipline and prevent work worries from forming, continue to steer away from the sofa and set yourself up in the dining room, kitchen or in a hallway where you can keep an eye on what everyone is up to and ensure that they are keeping safe and well.
Where necessary, speak to your employer about increasing flexibility
Depending on your situation and home, remote working with children and pets can bring up challenges during the working day which just cannot be resolved or resolved easily. If this is the case, it is important to reach out to your employer about flexible working arrangements. Most employers will not mind how work is done, as long as it gets done.
Ultimately, employers are likely to want to be as supportive as they can be, so don’t be afraid to be open and honest about your situation and how you are feeling. If you don’t speak to employer or HR about your difficulties, you may be harbouring unnecessary stress and anxiety which is no good for productivity and could erode your relationship and communication.
Maintain communication with family and friends
With the limitations of where and what you can do, it is natural for a person to feel lonely or too confined. Maintaining strong communication with your family and friends is important for keeping morale high, enhancing positivity and enables the opportunity to confide in others and discuss common issues.
With children currently unable to go back to school, many parents are finding balancing homeschooling with working tough. So why not touch base with friends who are in the same situation, have a nice catch-up and share any useful tips on juggling work and educating a child? One thing is for sure, you are not alone.
Avoid snacking
With the ease of access to the kitchen, it is quite easy for snacking to become an issue when home working. If you are going to snack or you are going to treat your child or animal to a snack, make sure that you are not doing this too frequently or unhealthily.
Ensure everyone is getting enough exercise
With the recent good weather and Joe Wicks’ P.E. lessons, there are fewer excuses for not exercising daily (although we will always find excuses). Whilst exercise is beneficial for physical health, the endorphins released through exercising are great for enhancing mental wellbeing. With life’s current limitations, maintaining happiness is more difficult and important than ever. So, where you are taking the dog out for a walk, going for a run or doing yoga in front of the TV, try to incorporate a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity into your daily routine.
Children
Set clear boundaries and rules
When working from home, it is important to set out clear boundaries and rules for your older children to allow you to focus as much as possible. Also, make sure you let those in your household know at what times you absolutely cannot be disturbed due to an internal meeting or an external call. Transparency is key and this will also help you keep on the right track.
Plan your children’s play and learning time
Planning your child’s day like it was your own is important to establishing balance and peace whilst you work. Every evening (or even every weekend), pre-plan what your child will be doing for the day or coming week like you would your own work day. If there is a plan in place, you will be able to ensure your children hit their daily learning and play goals, keeping them happy and emotionally satisfied.
Support your child if they have concerns about Coronavirus
In the current circumstances, where we have all had to change the way we live and what we do, it is understandable for children to feel anxious and worried about the future. If your child is in this situation and you need some tips on how to best broach this topic with them, Young Minds have provided some fantastic guidance.
Pets
Allow time for play and cuddles
Like with children, it is important to key your pets occupied to prevent boredom and unwelcome behaviours. Depending on your animal’s age, needs and temperament, there are different things you can do: make sure their toy box is accessible, go on a lunchtime walk or take a few minutes out for some playtime or snuggles. During this difficult time, having an animal is proving to be therapeutic; helping owners to maintain sanity and a smile. With this in mind, it is even more important to dedicate quality time to your fur friend. For young pets, this is a great opportunity to build a strong bond which will last for years to come.
Schedule toilet breaks
For puppies and older dogs alike, it is important that you allow time during the day to let them out for a bathroom break. For many, this is as simple as opening the back door, however, not everyone has the luxury of a garden. For those who live in flats or do not have an enclosed garden, it is vital that you pay attention to the signs and take your four-legged friend out regularly between meetings and calls to avoid disruption.
Struggling with your mental health during COVID-19?
Are you finding it difficult to cope in these unprecedented times? Speaking to someone about your problems can take a big weight off of your shoulders.
To speak to someone in confidence, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393.
Black and White Accounting
This is a difficult time for everyone and we must come together to get through this. This has not been written as a sales pitch, but just our thoughts to potentially help you as you or your team especially at this most difficult of times, so please feel free to share wide and far, it if might help. We would love to hear your ideas and thoughts on this and if there is any other content you would like to see on our website.
If there is anything we can do to help you at this difficult time, please do get in touch by contacting Black and White Chartered Certified Accountants, populate the “Got a Question” form on the right, or call us on 0800 140 4644.
