Whether we’re pushing through summer break, struggling with a national pandemic, or perhaps juggling an ongoing, fully remote career, more families than ever have experienced a rocky work-family balance in the past year. 

And with major companies (Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, and more) transitioning to allow some (or all) employees to continue working from home, it’s becoming clear that remote work is here to stay, at least in some capacity. 

According to an Owl Labs survey, the majority of workers plan to continue to telework even after COVID-19. “92% of people surveyed expect to work from home at least 1 day per week, and 80% expected to work at least 3 days from home per week.”

While remote work has numerous benefits for both employers and employed parents, it also comes with its own set of challenges.

• For the parents working from home without child care during the pandemic, 56% reported finding the situation difficult to navigate successfully. (CNBC)

• Some struggle with the feeling of being “constantly plugged in,” missing the ability to leave work at the office and experiencing a pull to check in on projects and email during off hours.

• Another survey found 42% of working parents are worried about their job security, because they are having to navigate work responsibilities with their kids being at home. (USA Today)

• Pre-pandemic research confirmed that working from home also may present family conflict and increase stress levels, especially with the added pressure to multitask. 

For many, there is an additional battle with the day-to-day. Even for those fortunate enough to work a flexible schedule, the interruptions throughout the day present a new challenge. How do you keep your children occupied and engaged, while you get your own work done? 

One daring work-from-home couple, who was willing to share their findings in a Washington Post op-ed, performed their own experiment to document an average day of child interruptions. While their results were painful, they resonate too well with other remote parents. 

“The parent was interrupted 45 times, an average of 15 times per hour. The average length of an uninterrupted stretch of work time was three minutes, 24 seconds. The longest uninterrupted period was 19 minutes, 35 seconds. The shortest was mere seconds.”

• Suzanne M. Edwards and Larry Snyder, Washington Post

This couple is not alone. Untimely interruptions can be a major drawback to working from home. 

Take it from this professor whose adorable family interrupted his live BBC news interview. 

If remote work is here to stay, how do we balance careers with parenthood?

• Ultimately, find what works for you. The age of your children will play a big role in making those decisions. Do you need a flexible schedule? Does it make sense to work part-time? Is childcare an option?

• If you’re dedicated to staying with your current employer but are desperate for flexibility, consider this advice from Harvard Business Review: “To get flexibility, don’t ask — sell. Telling the boss that working from home on Wednesdays would save enough commute time that you could deliver the weekly sales reports early is more compelling than simply asking to work from home…”

• If your partner also works remotely, try an arrangement where you trade shifts for “working” and “parenting.” 

• (Try to) establish a kid free zone, or at least a quiet space to hold meetings.

• Plan ahead! If you can determine what the kids will be doing for the day, it’ll help keep them busy and occupied, so you can stay productive.

• Communicate clearly to your family. Those outside your household may not understand your workload (and assume that your ability to be home means you’re free for unexpected visits and calls). If your kids are old enough, also communicate expectations with them. 

• “Begin” your day the evening before. Before signing off for the day, put together your “tomorrow list” while it’s still fresh in your mind. If you know what you need to tackle in advance, you’ll save time at the start of your day.

• Consider if child care makes sense for your needs. “Since the average annual cost for child care runs most families around $18,000, finding a friend or retired family member (hello, grandparents!) to help homeschool or watch over your little ones will be the biggest help.” (Trello)

• For your own mental health -- and your overall productivity -- give up trying to multitask. “It’s important to acknowledge that if you try to focus 100% on work and 100% on the kids at the same time, you’ll burn out twice as fast.” (Trello)

Personally, after working for remote companies for the past 11 years, having kids around has become the norm in my household. Though the pandemic sort of leveled the playing field, sending more parents home to work remotely, from the safety of their home office.

As with parenting in general, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to balancing remote work. Managing expectations and being realistic about what each day looks like will be key to achieving your version of success. If you’re clear and upfront with your co-workers, your family, and yourself, the ability to balance remote careers with parenthood becomes reachable.

Additional Resources:

Splice: Balance Music with Family Life

Github: How Parents are Adapting and Working During Covid

Washington Post: Remote Work Really Does Mean Longer Days

FlexJobs: Companies Switching to Remote Work

- Jennifer Santiago is Internet Marketing Manager at More Canvas Consulting