#flexible working

“Labour has undermined the principle of universality that underpins its entire programme for employment rights. This means a tiered system of rights and entitlements will remain in place and makes the pledge to give all workers the same rights from day one impossible.

“When the New Deal was originally developed, the Labour leader, his cabinet and the party’s affiliated trade unions shared a vision. They sought to build a dignified workplace in which workers – from the moment they took up employment – would have the ability to take time away after the birth of a child or a bereavement, to enjoy a decent work-life balance and not to be arbitrarily dismissed.

“The document was a recognition of the fact that the tiered system is one of the key drivers of low pay and insecurity, responsible for 3.7 million being trapped in ‘insecure work’ who do not know when their next shift will be or if they will be able to pay their bills ... The New Deal was designed to end the most exploitative practices in the gig economy – where workers are often paid below the minimum wage, made to work in dangerous conditions and denied rest breaks. One such example is Amazon delivery drivers, who have been forced to drive through exhaustion and urinate in bottles ...

“The lack of rights and protections is not just a problem for those in insecure forms of work. It is a problem for workers and the economy as a whole. These practices put a downward pressure on wages and terms across the board, making us all poorer and facilitating a race to the bottom that is partly responsible for Britain’s poor growth and productivity. 

March Of The Mummies is a national protest to demand government reform on childcare, parental leave and flexible working. Here’s why writer Lauren Crosby Medlicott is going along.  At least 10,000 mothers are due to march across the UK at the end of this month to demand urgent intervention from the government for the shocking treatment of mothers and families.

I’ll be carrying my sign and protesting in Cardiff, joining throngs of other mums in 11 regions around the country who are fed up with extortionate childcare costs, pitiful financial support for new parents and a lack of good quality part time and flexible work.

“Mothers from all over the UK have come together because enough is enough,” said Joeli Brearley of Pregnant Then Screwed, the charity that has organised the protests. “The pandemic brought into sharp focus how the needs of mothers and pregnant women are sidelined and ignored by those in power. That anger has grown with the cost of living crisis disproportionately impacting women and the near collapse of the childcare sector.”

...

Since having children, I’ve chosen to be the primary child carer for our three kids. Although I loved being home with them, there wasn’t much of a choice. If I returned to work, my salary would go solely towards paying for childcare costs. I’ve put my whole career on hold because there was no other option.

There are women who have found it far worse than me as the cost of living crisis continues to soar. A recent survey from Pregnant Then Screwed revealed that 48% of pregnant mothers will have to cut their maternity leave short due to financial hardship. Shockingly, 60.5% of mothers who had an abortion in the last five years said childcare costs were a factor in their decision to terminate the pregnancy, and 43% said they were considering leaving their jobs as a direct result of childcare costs.

A counterpoint to the Tory propaganda campaign about going back to work.

Remember a lot of tories are commercial landlords - they have a vested interest in us going back to work.

Lots of people regularly work from home, so working from home for a few weeks shouldn’t be a big deal, right? 

Here in Hong Kong we’ve been primarily working from home since the lunar new year in late January, and before that had extended periods at home due to the protests. 

When you work from home for an extended period of time - and it’s not your choice - it can be more challenging than you expect in ways you might not expect. There was even a day where I caught myself talking to my plants. Yes, really. 

Here are some things we’ve learned.

Plan movement into your day, throughout the day

I know my tiny HK apartment is smaller than most Aussie homes, but when you work from home for an extended period you really notice how much incidental movement you have in the office. Walking to the kitchen to refill your water bottle, to the bathrooms or between meeting rooms, even the walk from the bus/tram/train stop to the office; these opportunities either stop or are different when you work from home. I live in fear of the “you didn’t close any of your rings yesterday, Anna. Do better today” alert from my Apple Watch. So judgemental.

Some ideas:

- Do your stand up meeting standing up - Plan to do one or more of your meetings walking. I have been known to go for a walk for 30 mins of Group Review, where I’m primarily in listening mode. - Put a reminder into your calendar to stand up and stretch, or do a quick yoga session. I’m a fan of this 5 min session: https://youtu.be/nQFf38xeBww

Build rituals into your day

Your home is your sanctuary, but it’s also about to be your workplace. For the next little while you might find it helpful to build rituals to define the beginning and end to your work day and work space. You might be fortunate enough to have an office or spare room that you can close the door on at the end of the day or, like me, you might be working at your dining table. 

Some things that worked for me:

- Setting up my work equipment at the start of the day, and then leaving my apartment and getting a coffee. When I’m at the cafe drinking my coffee, I’m doing my email catching up on and MS Teams, scanning the intranet and Yammer and generally getting in my work mindset. Then when I get back to my apartment it’s like starting my day in the office - a faux-commute! - At the end of the day I pack down my equipment, lie on my foam roller and undo any aches from sitting through the day and light a candle. All simple things that define the end of the work day for me.

Be purposeful in connecting

Something I really miss at home-the random chats. Bumping into people in the kitchen and having a chat, catching up while walking together to grab a coffee, or the random conversations across the desk when you just want to quickly check on something. I even miss the noise of chatter which is sometimes maddening in the office!

Some ways we’ve alleviated this here:

- We have a virtual morning tea every couple of weeks with our extended team. This is super informal, some might even say ridiculous, but it’s lovely to check in, see everyone’s faces and share stories of working from home. I think we’ve even got to know each other a little better with a literal window into each other’s lives outside of work. - Where possible, instead of sending an IM via teams, I call via video. - I make sure I have time during the week to think about what and who I’m grateful for. This is something that a colleague and I started a couple of years ago and even though it seems a little “fluffy” there’s zero downside. These days I make sure I put this into our corporate reward and recognition app.

It’s ok to not be ok

People across the world are experiencing a range of feelings about the current situation, and I’m sure we are no different. One thing that is for sure is that uncertainty can create anxiety and stress. Our bodies are not built to thrive under ongoing stressful periods. For me, the anxiety has shown up in ways I wouldn’t have expected - excuse the TMI, but I went to the dentist recently, and he told me that my jaw was really tight and it was impacting how well I’m cleaning my back teeth. Apparently he’s seeing this a lot! 

- We’ve all had our moments here in HK, where we might get worked up about something that normally wouldn’t bother us, or we’ve been a little snappy, or have withdrawn. It’s helpful to remember that we’re all doing our best and not to take things personally.

- When we can’t remove the source of the anxiety, one thing we can do is look at the things that are within our control: making sure our brains and bodies are best equipped to manage through the situation. Eating healthily (even though we might want to stress eat chocolate and drink wine) getting exercise and sleep. 

- Remaining connected with our communities, and being there for each other is important. One of my team members even bought me toilet paper! Accessing employee assistance programs can be helpful (it’s what they’re there for.)