Self-Preservation with Kids

In recent years employers had become more flexible for parents to balance their responsibilities at home and the demands of work. This privilege was not given necessarily because employers wanted to be nicer to parents, it is more likely caused by a need to keep and maintain productive employees and a booming economy which gave unexpected grosses that could fund such privileges. Now the tides have turned, and so has the economy; Companies have been forced to tighten their belts and the employment market has turned in their favor. It is no longer necessary or often even feasible to offer the generous privileges we have taken for granted and the first area of cutbacks that will affect you directly are in the area of employee benefits.

Here are five tips to self-preservation for parents:

1) Don't take privileges for granted. Only take off time that you need and plan to readjust to the changes that may be necessary to preserve your employment.

2) Don't call in sick so you can be present for your child's sporting event or school play

3) Even if your employer has allowed you to leave early to pick the kids up from school in the past, it may be a good idea to find alternate arrangements.

4) Dentist appointments, Doctor's appointments, Orthodontists, tanning, manicures, and hair appointments should all be made on your personal time for dates and times you are not expected to be working. If an appointment is made for a time you are regularly scheduled to work, only confirm if it is necessary (surgery may be considered necessary. Your kid's orthodontist appointment or salon appointment is NOT considered to be serious by many employers). Then give your employer a minimum of two week's notice of the appointment.

5) Give as much advanced notice to any changes in your availability as possible

It is in your best interest to be more resilient and flexible right now. If you are up for a promotion and your single colleague is up for the same one, it may actually be more cost effective during the economic downturn for the single person to get the job. If your department is being downsized and you are one of those parents that leaves early on a regular basis, your job may be one of the first to go.

Of course you may surmise that a parent needs the job more than the bachelor, but this is a time when companies have to make the tough business decisions. By taking proactive measures to show your employer through actions that you take the position of the company seriously, and are able to make necessary adaptations in your work/home balance during these difficult times; You stand a better chance of preserving your standing in the company. You hear many stories of department shut downs and company closures, where individuals are offered the opportunity to maintain employment in another position or area. Employees that show they can adapt through adversity are the ones that are sometimes saved from being sent to the unemployment line.

Try to remember that its business and nothing personal and you are still enjoying the best time in the last few hundred years of western history to be a parent in the workplace. Missing out on some family activities may suck, but not as much as a pink slip.