Working from home with children? Yes please!

Just as the length of our hair has changed, the quarantine triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has also altered the work situation for many employees. Numerous workers were sent to work from home, and since daycare centers closed their doors, working parents suddenly found themselves under the same roof as their daycare-aged children. It was now up to them to juggle their work on one hand and childcare on the other. Did they manage it? And what consequences did this have for the children?

A Closer Look

As part of the “Work and Organizational Psychology” course in the communication psychology program, we researched how parents working from home were able to balance childcare with their work. Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home, we wondered how this affected the relationship between parents and children. Through two interviews with affected couples in quarantine and a public survey, we learned about the situation and atmosphere while working from home. These conversations revealed thoughts about the pandemic, the challenges they faced, and the positive aspects as well. Based on these interviews, we designed an online survey to include a wider range of parents. This allowed us to gain a deeper insight into everyday family life.

“Household chores suffer a bit, but my goodness, they’re not going anywhere.”

The results of our survey really surprised us. A large proportion of parents working from home do not have a dedicated home office. Due to high demands from employers, some parents are already overwhelmed by everyday tasks and feel they have to get everything done immediately. The result is that household chores aren’t being done in a sufficient manner, and there’s no longer enough separation between work and home life. To counteract this, many of the parents surveyed have created a daily schedule that aligns their work hours as good as possible with their children’s daycare hours. They enjoy spending time with their children away from work and discover completely new sides to each other. Despite the stress and numerous demands, there’s a sense of harmony in the home office—believe it or not. A good outlook for what lies ahead.