For many mums, flexibility makes workforce participation viable; it can make the difference between being engaged in paid employment or abandoning it.  Flexible working arrangements provide a valuable means to facilitating an improved return to work journey after having a baby.  But when it comes to dealing with the unexpected stumbling blocks that parental life throws at you, will flexibility be enough to sustain your work and family responsibilities?

Both my children recently had pneumonia. The past weeks have been grueling, to say the least; nursing extreme fevers, sleepless nights, and trying helplessly to provide some level of comfort for two suffering little beings.  And just when we thought we were out of the woods, a secondary infection flared up, throwing us back into the quarantine cycle.

Without question, my responsibilities as a mother and treating this illness have taken precedence over most other things in life last month.  Everything else in my life had either been rationed or forsaken. Housework was kept to a minimum, some chores were delegated to my husband, and there was certainly no room for social or personal activities.

My job, however, continued without interruption.  I worked to full capacity without having to take time off, finish work early or miss a deadline.  How was this possible?  Well, the answer is telework. Luckily, I am able to telework (i.e., work from  home) and only work part-time hours.

Had I been working in a traditional role at my employer’s workplace, I really don’t know what would have become of my job.  I would have experienced significant stress feeling like I’d let my employer down as I would have no doubt needed to take at least a month off work to look after my ill children.  Had that scenario occurred, I can only imagine the difficulty imposed on my employer.

This experience has shed some true life light on why flexibility is so important in the lives of working parents.  However, it’s not enough to just have the option to be flexible – you need to harness and use it.  Trying to introduce a flexible work style at a critical time of need is a sure recipe for stress, and possibly failure.  With any new work arrangement, there are the typical creases that need to be ironed out before things run smoothly.  Introducing something new when you’re caught up in a frenzy is not the ideal scenario.

So, my advice is this: if you’re a parent who can relate to the sudden, unplanned events that come hand in hand with having young children, start planning your flexible working arrangements now.  Don’t wait until boiling point before you make your change.  Flexibility needs to be trialed and established before it can be effective.