August 25, 2021
With some employers looking to bring staff back to work on-site, here’s how parents can ask for schedule accommodations.
Kate Westrin, a mother of two in Denver, used to commute to the office four days a week for her job as a people experience manager at Xero, a cloud-based accounting software company. After working from home throughout the pandemic, returning to her previous schedule felt impossible, she said. With the Delta variant threatening to upend school and day care schedules, she worried that returning to the office would make work and parenting tougher.
After having candid conversations with her employer about her needs, Ms. Westrin plans to be on-site twice a week when her office reopens in October.
“I don’t 100 percent have everything figured out,” she said. “But I’ve discussed a hybrid approach with my manager, and have requested flexible work hours around drop-offs and pickups, with the expectation that I’m back online afterwards.”
Those talks with her manager have made her feel more supported at work, she said.
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