Re-entry - Work-life balance begins at the kitchen table

Mothers are so many things. They are the first point of contact for their children, soul comforters, nurses, teachers for almost all school subjects, cooks, housekeepers, shoppers, cleaners, and laundresses. Moreover, most are also wives, friends, daughters, and sisters. But even then, the list is not complete. Because there is hardly a more versatile job than that of a mother. When a mother returns to work, even more roles are added: colleague, employee, possibly a manager, and so on. To reconcile all this in one person requires not only optimal organization. It also requires a realistic assessment of what one can and wants to achieve oneself, and what the partner can and wants to achieve.

Few couples think in advance, before the offspring arrives, about how the division of labor will look when both want to live both family and career in the future. Instead of sitting down at the kitchen table and entering negotiations on who will take on which household task or childcare, the decoration of the nursery is discussed. Also popular: touring all the baby stores in the nearby and distant surroundings to find the best stroller. All are not unimportant topics, but for the smoothest possible balance between work and family, it is essential to agree on what family life should look like in the future.

Full-time? Reduced full-time or part-time?

Have you ever thought about how many hours you want to work in the future? Should it be just a few hours per week? Or would you prefer reduced full-time work – about 32 hours per week. Do you want to work full days and have others off? Or are you considering a part-time job where you're home again when the children come back from daycare or school?

Career? Now or later?

How many hours you want to work also has a lot to do with how important your job or career is to you. Do you want to start a family and aim for a leadership position? Then you will generally need to work more than 20 hours a week. If the job is more of a means to an end, or you want to start your career only after your children are older, it can also be 20 hours or less. Good to know: If you ever decide to change employers, neither you nor the employer need to state that you worked part-time. Still, the image of "part-time" in most companies is not necessarily one associated with a career.

Daycare? Grandma? Or perhaps Au Pair?

Do you already know how you want your children to be cared for? Do you have a daycare nearby that meets your requirements? Or would you prefer to work with a childminder or even an au pair? What about the care of your children who are already attending school? Does the school offer daycare or can your child perhaps even attend an all-day school? Do your parents or in-laws live nearby, would they like to help with the care and - very importantly - can you imagine that too?

Emergency care

Not to be underestimated: the emergency. As long as the children are still small, they are sick often enough. But once they start going to daycare or school, it feels like they're ill 365 days a year. Although parents are legally entitled to sick days for looking after their children, these days are not always enough. Moreover, Murphy's Law usually ensures that the kids get sick right when things are hectic at work. So, it's best to build two to three emergency support networks. This could be a neighbor who is at home or already retired. A colleague with kids of the same age, the parents of the daycare or schoolmates, a student who can babysit in the evenings. There are no limits to your imagination. Professional service providers like famPLUS are also happy to help here.

The answers to all these questions can only be given by you. It is best if you first answer the questions for yourself. The same applies to your partner. If both of you know how you envision the future as working parents, you can enter into negotiations with each other.

How other couples do it. How you can find the right employer for your model with the sophisticated plan and further research is what I show in my book "Career + Family. It Fits!" How parents find the right employer – published by Campus Verlag.

famPLUS - Together for your personal PLUS!