Do you have a childcare Plan B?

From the minute your darling bundle of DNA appears into the world, you are on a countdown for the inevitable. A sickness bug. A cold. A fever. That little one will get ill at some point.  During parental leave, however long you have, you live in a bubble of narrower responsibilities that means that a poorly junior being gets your full attention. However, once you return to the day job, whatever that will be, the sight of a poorly child, regardless of their age, brings with it a level of worry above and beyond cuddles and Calpol (other paracetamol-based medicines are available).

Now, before I continue, let’s get the controversy out of the way. I am not, for one minute, claiming that work takes priority to the wellbeing of our little ones. So, stop and please read, before you throw the metaphorical pitchfork at me. We have to be realistic, in the age of modern parenthood, we have multiple responsibilities that means that we are pulled in lots of different directions.  Many of the parents that I coach bring this very issue up as part of their career or return to work coaching.  The concern about how they will manage when they find they have a poorly little one on their hands.

And it ALWAYS happens on the day of THE important meeting. Doesn’t it!

Quite often, the mental load associated with childcare falls on the shoulders of the default parent; for many single-parent families, there is only one place it can land! Having recently had both girls off school numerous times over a month, for both a flu virus and a sickness bug, this issue is front and centre of my life at the time of writing.  I am VERY grateful for the following to have got me and my work through the numerous days that they were off sick:

1. Having the ability to set my own hours.
2. Grandma being close and able to watch the youngest when I had meetings I couldn’t rearrange.
 3. Netflix.
4. Technology to enable me to coach clients from home.

The issue is very real. As a working parent, at some point, you will be woken up to the dulcet tones of “I don’t feel very well”.
 It WILL happen, so let’s create a Plan B.

I encourage you to have THE conversation about emergency childcare before the need arises. How Plan B is created will vary, dependent on your individual circumstances, but I encourage you to consider these steps:
 
Look at policies
If you are employed then get familiar with the company policies and processes, making sure you are very clear on the law around emergency dependent leave (unpaid emergency leave). In addition to this, be clear on the school/nurseries policies around sickness- for example, some schools have a 24 hour “clear” rule whilst others have 48, following sickness.
If you are self-employed, then consider YOUR own creation of policies; how would you communicate with clients if you are unable to attend an appointment; where could you move your work to (either move a deadline or responsibilities) in the short term?
 
Talk about it
Speak to the people around you that either share the caring responsibilities for your child(ren) or that you know are willing to help. How will you contact them? How will you decide who will look after them? Have these conversations BEFORE it’s needed. When you are calm and not under time and responsibilities pressure.
If you feel comfortable, speak to your Manager or Supervisor about home working or how you can manage leave should there be an emergency; such as using annual leave/flexing hours. In my experience as children get older they need less “hands-on care” and more occasional feeding/sympathy, so working from home may be an option. With younger children, not so much!
 

It’s not always a sickness issue!
Sometimes, the emergency is not the child, but the childcare itself. From an ill childminder to snow shut down, be aware of the other ways that can impact you. There is a growing movement for emergency childcare (just do an internet search to see the options!) but keep this in mind when you are creating your Plan B.
 
Be easy on yourself
Finally, remember these things happen. There is only so far we can stretch ourselves, and when we have caring responsibilities, we need to tweak, change and move things around. For most of us, the “day job” (whatever that looks like) is not life or death. Not being around is inconvenient, but things can wait.

By being open and upfront about the life you have outside of work, and playing your part in developing a culture of work-life balance, it will allow everyone to support each other when the need arises. However, if the reaction from colleagues and management to your caring needs is less then supportive, remember this is about the culture of the organisation, NOT about you.
 
How have you managed emergency childcare; am I existing in a utopian world where people “get” that these things happen? How do you make it work?
Let me know and help show others how it’s possible!
 
Join The Balance Collective with Clara Wilcox to continue the conversation.
Find out more about my 1:1, online and group coaching through my website.