Benefits of Home Working
Written by Father of two, David Sturges
As a working Father of one very lively toddler and one very excitable 9 month old I often find my time stretched to the limit! The lines of parental responsibility are more blurred than they used to be and I am one of a growing number of men who try to share the more practical aspects child rearing. I consider myself a very ‘modern Father’, I enjoy getting involved in all aspects of parenthood and I often find myself up to my elbows in nappies and goo! Whilst this can sometimes add more stress to an already busy day it is also incredibly rewarding. Being ‘there’ more can really help you achieve a strong bond with your child and sometimes you can even be lucky enough to witness their first steps or words.
The positive impact of being more involved is not just a one way street, children benefit too. When dads spend time talking with their sons about worries, school work and social lives, their boys grow up with greater confidence and motivation.
Boys and girls whose Fathers are involved in their education when they are age seven have higher educational attainment by age 20. (The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children’s Education, Department for Education and Skills 2003)
However, finding that extra time to spend with your children can be very challenging indeed. Workplaces can be incredibly inflexible with the demand for long hours or trips away often denying Fathers of that precious time. According to a recent study by The Work Foundation, most of us here in Britain work longer hours than almost all of our European counterparts! The Government has put some initiatives in place to help, such as paid and unpaid paternity leave and more rights for flexible working for Fathers. but there is still much more that can be done. Almost two-thirds of Fathers are concerned about the emotional wellbeing and behaviour of their children but most don't get in touch with services to obtain the support they need. A major worry for Fathers is the desire to improve family life and communication. (Parentline Plus Report 2004)
In order to make a real difference to your work/life balance, and to gain that extra time with your children, a change needs to be made to the way you work. To make the most of your time what you really need is to be able to work wherever you can, whenever you can. I have been incredibly lucky to have had my children just at a time when the technology has arrived to make such truly flexible working a reality.
Of course being able to work away from the office or from home is not a new concept. The benefits that working from home can bring to both employee and businesses, such as h igher productivity, ability to work uninterrupted, reduction in overheads, greater commitment and loyalty from staff, happier more motivated staff, (to name but a few) have been widely recognised for some time. However the technology that people used to access their offices, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), has not in reality been very flexible at all. It requires costly configuration set ups and maintenance and the users are still limited to using that one PC/Laptop!
Online Desktop's, or for larger businesses Terminal Services, provides something new because it allows you to work from any PC anywhere in the world whenever you need to. This technology, combined with the Governments flexible working initiatives could provide many Fathers with the ability to get much more involved with their children. I have been using this technology to access my office for some time now and my family and I are reaping the rewards. If the children are sick and my wife has been up all night then I can help out and work from home. Time off and holidays are easier to take as if I need to access work I just use the PC at the hotel, or one at an internet café, or even Nan’s PC! My children know that if I’m in the study ‘Daddy’s at work’ and they are very good at staying out, but when lunch time comes they just love bringing me my food up and we play until I have to get back to the grindstone. I have found that being a Father is very unpredictable, I never know what’s coming next, but I am lucky enough to know that I now have the flexibility in my work life to deal with whatever’s thrown at me!
Useful Links
http://www.bbc.co.uk/parenting
http://www.NCT.org.uk
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/
http://www.Fatherhoodinstitute.org/
http://homedad.org.uk/
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