How (not) to have a sick day as a work at home mum

It's hard to have a day off when you're a work at home mum. I was out of sorts this morning. Tired, headachey, blah. I decided I'd call in sick, put my feet up and read a book. Of course.

I got home to my quiet house after school drop-off. I readied myself for a sick day. Coffee at hand. Book at hand. I got onto the sofa. I assumed the correct 'sick day' position.

Nothing doing.

I remembered the three emails I needed to send to follow up interviews for later in the week. I got up. I sent my emails.

I assumed the correct 'sick day' position.

Nothing doing.

I remembered a feature story I'd forgotten to begin. I got up. I went through my contact list. I sent emails requesting interviews later in the week.

I assumed the correct 'sick day' position.

Nothing doing.

I noticed the pile of towels at the end of the sofa, remnants from a frantic folding session the night before. They bothered me. I got up. I put the towels away.

I assumed the correct 'sick day' position.

Nothing doing.

I glanced at the clock. I remembered an interview was scheduled in 10 minutes time (hey, at least I remembered in my pale and wan condition). I got up. I wrote questions. I made a phone call. I made intelligent conversation.

I assumed the correct 'sick day' position.

I won't go on (well, not any more than I already have). You get the picture. I will say this, however. I feel better. And not because of the five minutes an hour I spent in the 'sick day' position. More for the fact that I will get to the end of the day knowing that, while I haven't done much, I've at least done enough to keep things ticking over. That's what it's all about, isn't it? The ticking over.

How do 'sick days' work at your house?


Allison Tait is a freelance writer who blogs at Life In A Pink Fibro about writing, being a work at home mum to two boys, and… whimsy. She was thrilled to work with Kate Sykes on their new book: 'Career Mums: A practical guide to returning to work' due out January 2012!

Case study: Negotiating a pay rise while on parental leave

Recently, a CareerMums user asked about requesting a pay rise while on maternity leave. It was the second time she had been on maternity leave around the end of financial year when her work awards pay rises. She mentioned that she had not received a pay rise in quite a while and if she missed out again, she would be earning considerably less than her peers.

Our view on the issue is the following: Pay rises in general come with performance appraisals. If you have every intention of returning, your pay rate should account for the hard work you have carried out before going on parental leave. Ask to view their performance appraisal guidelines first so you have the facts. Then ask. If you don’t ask, you won’t know – or in some cases, you won’t get it.

We recently received feedback from this woman on how she then handled the situation:

"I just wanted to update you on my progress with asking for a pay rise while on maternity leave. I checked the policy and then organised a phone call with my boss. I indicated to him that I would like a pay review based on my (very good) performance review conducted at the end of last year before I went on leave. I was advised that this would be taken into consideration and I would be advised of the outcome. Yesterday I was advised that I would be awarded a 4% rise (slightly over CPI for the year I think) which I am quite happy with - though I think if I had been still working and had a full year's performance review to help make my case it would have been better - but it's definitely better than nothing! Thanks for your advice regarding this - it gave me the confidence to ask!"

Reviewing your job description

How long since you or your manager has reviewed your job description? It is an interesting exercise that could produce the following results:

- Fine tuning exactly what your tasks and duties are. You may feel less overwhelmed and more focused on the outcomes. All of this has a impact on work life balance as it can help you to feel more organised about your work load.
- You may find an opportunity to build a case to work flexibly. For example, some components of your work may be done outside of work hours, or from home. Or there may be an opportunity to job share your role, or make it part time.

work life balance and your relationship

When people talk about work/life balance, the focus is often on work versus family. Where does your relationship (love, togetherness and sex) with your partner fit in to the mix? So often it's easy to feel like ships passing in the night... We're looking for a case study for the Career Mums book (due out January 2012, through Penguin Books Australia). If you've got a story to tell about how your relationship fits in to your work/life balance - perhaps you went through a rough patch and found your way through, or perhaps you and your partner have a terrific plan for making it work - then we'd love to hear from you! We can change your name if that makes it easier to talk. Email kate@careermums.com.au

Share your story: Negotiating flexibility before and during parental leave

CareerMums is co-writing a book for parents returning to work. It will be published by Penguin later in the year. Here is your chance to share your experience and tips via our blog. We need career mums to provide comments on the following topics:

1. Did you have an idea of how and when you wanted to return to work before going on parental leave, and then change your mind while on parental leave? How did you negotiate what you wanted with your employer and how did it turn out?

2. Tell us about your experience with negotiating flexibility before going on parental leave. How did the conversation go, and how did it turn out?

Please send us your comments via our blog.

Thanks for your time!

The state of the workforce

Last week, I met with one of the Big 4 banks to discuss recruitment issues. This bank's biggest challenge is finding quality candidates for a huge number of roles they have across the country - in particular regional areas. Some of these roles include branch manager roles that come with a six figure salary. And they are willing to consider job share.

Basically, their current candidate sourcing channels are not working - hence our discussion. They are looking for alternative channels to tap into people like you. This is one of many business examples that demonstrate that there is a shortage of quality candidates.

What does this mean for you? Better opportunities to negotiate flexibility and the opportunity to find better quality flexible roles that reflect your qualifications and expertise.

The cost of childcare and going back to work

I have noticed that a common view held by mums is that if your salary does not cover the cost of childcare, it is not worth going back to work. I think this view needs to be challenged for the following reasons:

1. Your experience and desire to work should not be ignored or compromised. You have invested in your education and have built up a strong career. You should not be made to feel like you have to sacrifice your career. The longer you stay out of the workplace, the more challenging it is to return. Childcare is required for a finite period of time (at the most, 4 years). You can access a 50% childcare rebate (not means tested). You may also be able to tap into your extended family to assist your family with caring duties.

2. The cost of childcare should not be associated with your salary only. View it as an expense that needs to be covered by your combined salary (you AND your partner's salary). This expense is necessary to mantain your skills and support your future earning capacity.

I have no doubt that the cost of care is a huge problem for families. The Federal Government offers a 50% childcare rebate but they have no long term solutions for the rising cost of childcare. This is because most childcare centres are privately owned. This in turn impacts on the skills shortage in this country - the cost of care is forcing many people to stay at home rather than work.

If you can make it work as a family, and you want to return to paid work, I would encourage you to do it. I have met and spoken to too many women who have opted to leave the workforce for a longer period of time and have subsequently lost their confidence to return to paid employment.