In part one of this little series on single parents on the job, I wrote about how important it is for a working single parent (and that is most of us!) to have a work environment that is family and single parent friendly. Additionally, while I know plenty of single parents who work in restrictive, traditional-type jobs, I do believe that jobs where the work hours can be more flexible make for less harried parents and are more conducive to the single parent family.
By flexible hours, I don’t necessarily mean that we need to be able to come and go whenever and however we please. I certainly understand how that can be disruptive and unproductive to most work environments, but a work schedule that can be arranged to make room for sick children, appointments, or working certain hours so a parent can also take care of family obligations really makes a big difference. For a single parent, being able to flex your work time, or arrange it so that you can work hours when you are not needed by your family, or even being able to work from home or telecommute part-time can be optimal for a healthy family and a productive worker.
Increasingly, flexible work hours are becoming more the norm. Not all industries and jobs are particularly parent-friendly, let alone single parent-friendly, so you may have train for a different field or take the time to look for an environment that is flexible enough for your family situation. It may also be that the place where you already work might be open to discussing more flexible hours—especially if you have been a good and valued employee. I think it is also important that we don’t abuse the flexible work hours—we do have some obligation to be mature and responsible and show that we can still be productive and efficient and not turn into slackers just because we don’t have a manager and a time sheet to be shackled to. But, for many single parents, flexible work hours are a must when it comes to balancing work and family.
Also: A Single Parent on the Job–Part One–Supportive Work Environments