Yesterday I worked from home, and as I sat on my couch in the sun, I reflected on what flexible working actually means to me.
Mercer’s 2018 Global Talent Trends Report notes that 51% of employees want their employer to offer more flexible work options. Traditionally employers have thought of flexible working as a way of allowing full time employees to work reduced hours for a variety of reasons. For me, I enjoy working full time, but need flexibility to meet the demands of my family life. This has never been more true than yesterday.
You see, yesterday was not just an opportunity for me to work outside of the office. The cross country was on at my boys’ school and my eldest son, Sam, had decided he wanted to participate. What makes this a bit out of the ordinary is that Sam has a heart condition that can be triggered when he runs. We’ve always been keen for him to be involved in sports and not let his heart condition impact on his ability to participate in all forms of school activities, but as a mum, it can be a stressful time!!
So yesterday, I felt working from home meant that I could be closer to him if something went wrong – being 10 minutes away, as opposed to 30-40 minutes depending on traffic, makes a huge difference. This gave him, the school, and me all peace of mind and more confidence in him giving the cross country a go.
But it wasn’t just the work location that made the day a success.