Balancing Work And Family

Many women face the choice of continuing their careers or raising their family. Fortunately if you are one of the many countless women who face this question, you can now do both. Working mothers are no longer a rarity and in this economy have become the norm.

However most women still fear that working full time might impact their children in a negative way. If you think that you can't balance a full time job with the rigors of motherhood there are still options available for you. Here are some alternative work options that you can take part of.

Flextime

Flextime allows the employee to choose the hours that he or she will work. Employees could work a condensed work week or may work a regular work week. Those who work the condensed work week may work for four ten hour days or a regular five day week with different working hours. If you are having a tough time balancing your work and you responsibilities at home, then you will benefit from flextime.

The hard part is convincing your boss to allow you to take flextime. Don't tell your employer the reason why you should take flextime but give him or her reasons why it would make his or her life easier. Get your co-workers to cooperate with your plan. Come up with a schedule that makes sure the office is being manned at all times. Show your boss how being on flextime can save the office overhead costs in terms of sharing computer stations or longer coverage of telephones.

Telecommuting

Telecommuting is defined as working from home for your employer or for an independent contractor. Telecommuters may come in to the office for part of the week but mostly you'll work from your own house. There's a lot to be said about working at home. You'll be there when your kids come home, you won't have to deal with the hassle of commuting, and you can do your work away from the noise of the office.

You will have to separate your home life and professional life which will be harder to do since you are basically doing both at the same location. Set some time limits for yourself. Telecommuting is a great option but you will have to be more disciplined than when you were working in an office. There is no one watching over your work ethic.

Job Sharing

Two people will share the same workload in a company. You will be each working a part of the week. You'll also have to split the benefits from the job. Finding the right person to partner with isn't easy however.

You'll have to ask yourself your own work habits and your goals. Do these answers match with your potential partner? How many hours of the week do you want to work? What salary are you looking for? Job sharing is an attractive alternative option for many moms as well as for the employers. The company keeps seasoned employees and takes on new ones.

Temporary Work

Instead of being employed to the company outright you are contracted to a variety of companies as a worker for a temporary employment agency. The agency will then process your paycheck and any benefits you may receive. Temp jobs can offer you a variety of industries and careers you may have never considered working at before.

There is no long term commitment. If you no longer feel comfortable with the job you could just leave for your next job. Temp jobs also give you the option of flextime which is great for working mothers. You also have the added bonus of learning a new skill at your various jobs. Temp jobs are easy to find. Most of the agencies are on line and all you have to do is submit your resume. You can jump from one temp job to another while looking for that perfect job.

Part Time

This is a traditional option for most moms. Instead of working the full 20 to 30 hours a week, you work one day per week. Your pay is prorated to the number of hours you did work. However you may not receive the usual benefits given to regular employees. Working part time gives you the control over your schedule and you can still contribute to family finances with your salary.

Self-employment. This is an option for those willing to put in long hours without any guarantee of a financial reward. You should put in a great deal of thought before you start your own business. Yes you won't have to answer to anyone else but many small time businesses fail. Not everyone is cut out for the perils of business.

As a mother self-employment may take up even more time away from your kids as to being employed full-time. You should consider what sort of business you will be getting into. Look for one that is financially viable but not to demanding. If you are a great cook why not sell your cookies or cakes? As always plan before you leap.