Working this year has been unlike any other. The whole working from home thing is back on the cards for a lot of people after some time back in the workplace, and it's splitting opinion.
Having kids and working from home, as we've seen on some rather comedic news interviews, can be seriously tough. With that said, it also gives parents the opportunity to spend more time with their kids. For me, there have been some clear pros and cons.
Interruption
It's true, no matter how well trained your kids are, they interrupt at the most inconvenient times. I've lost count how many Zoom calls have been interrupted by the toddler loudly declaring he needs a poo, or the baby having an impromptu meltdown just as I'm presenting. The thing is, I've realised that nobody cares. It breaks up the meetings and all parents know that soon it'll happen to them.
Concentration
Keeping your head in the game is tough when you're at home. I know people have always worked from home, and for some, this pandemic hasn't really changed a lot... but hats off to you if you can concentrate with two screaming banshees and a doorbell that literally constantly rings going off in your ears.
It's not just the noise, it's the fact I can get up and walk around and get distracted by pretty much anything when I'm at home. I get up for a drink and I'm suddenly halfway through repainting a wall before I know it.
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Switching off
Separating life and work is easier for me when I actually go to work. Being at home, I find that I'm never really in dad mode or work mode, I'm in some strange state of flux between doing nappies and typing on the computer. It's weird, it's like being contactable at home makes me feel like I should be available more? I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like I'm finding it much harder to totally leave work at the door.
Less wasted time
There are times in your working day where you are quiet. When you're at home, you don't have that luxury. When your jobs finish, you are back in the parenting hot seat and subsequently, when work gets busy again, you've not had any downtime. It's great to be around the kids all day, but it's also great to be able to give your brain a rest in between meetings or maybe even make a cuppa without being rugby tackled by two rug rats.
Being able to help more
Being at home means that when you aren't working you are more available and this is absolute magic. I have had so much more time with the boys due to home working and even if it's overhearing them talking or arguing over toys, it's still more than I would have had if I was at work. It's incredible how many little things you gain in a day by being around and in a lot of ways, it has helped me build even more of a relationship with the boys. It's also allowed me to help my wife out a bit more which is always good!
If you gave me the choice of working from home or at work, I really couldn't definitely choose which I'd go for... in fairness it's quite nice that we have been able to flit between!
