Kicking Ass @Work: Tips for Working Parents
This week, I’m sharing my favorite tips for being a working parent…
To set some context, I’ve been an office-worker-slash-parent for almost ten years, both from home and office settings. (It may be nit-picky, but I think all parents are working parents, which is why I say office worker.) Over time, I’ve come to find three things are absolutely critical…
Tip #1: Invest in a good headset
If you’re like me, your day job takes place in both home and a traditional office. No matter how careful the day’s plan, there will come a time when you have both a very important call and a very noisy child in the house, all at the same time. For this inevitability, it’s key to buy a good headset early and make sure it has a mute button. Don’t be afraid to spend some bucks; it’s worth every penny and you will love yourself for this, trust me.
Tip #2: You’re always sick
Okay, this tip depends on your office setting, but until you know the lay of the land, you should be the one who’s sick. Here’s the deal: you could be out for a week with a bad cold and no one will think twice. But if you say you’re out for a week because your kid is sick? Chances are, someone will get resentful, even though it’s your sick time and what business is it of theirs how you use it anyway. Hey, having a sick kid is enough of a pain without dealing with coworker angst. My two cents.
Tip #3: My little coworker
You have your awesome headset. You can use the mute button like a pro. And yet, still, you’re on an important call and there are suspicious child noises going on in the background. Pro tip: don’t pretend the noises aren’t there. The focus of the call quickly becomes ‘what’s that weird noise’ versus whatever you’re trying to get done. Also, it can come off as fishy: ‘why is this person pretending to be in an office when they aren’t?’
My suggestion is to say early in the call ‘just so you know, you may hear my little co-worker in the background today.’ If you want, you can add some detail, like: ‘school got cancelled’ or whatever. Every time I’ve said this, people have been super-cool. Normally, it starts a quick conversation about my kid in particular and beloved children in general. Commence au bonding moment.
So there you go: invest in a good headset, always say you’re sick, and keep handy the ‘my little coworker speech.’ Hope these tips are as useful to you as they’ve been to me!
ALSO IN THIS SERIES:
How to tell who’s aligned with whom
3 Strikes and I Call Your Manager
Rule of the 3 Ps
Get anyone to back to fuck off
Work means never having to say ‘I’m sorry’
The single biggest red flag of all time
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