ways2work - Parents and carers
Finding the balance
What kind of work will accommodate the needs of your family and what changes might need to be made at home to support your new work responsibilities? The clearer you are about what works best for both you and your family, the greater chance you have of making your re-entry into paid work a success.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What will be the financial impact of my returning to work? How much can I earn? How much do I need to earn?
To help you determine your expenses and what you will need to earn to make ends meet, use the Calculator. Don't forget that returning to paid work will incur costs, such as child care, travel and new clothes for example, and will probably impact on your Family Tax Benefit and any other government assistance you may receive. On the other hand, remember that returning to paid work will contribute to your superannuation, which is important for your long-term financial security. - What are my care needs and options?
Check out Thinking about care. - Do I need to access any family friendly work options?
Find more details in Family friendly workplaces. - How much responsibility do I want to take on?
Think about how responsibilities at work will impact on you and your family, including your sense of wellbeing and stress levels. - How will I juggle work tasks and responsibilities and workload in the home?
The Home Planner will help you work out the jobs that need doing and which tasks can be done by other family members.
You can revisit or create your About Me profile to clarify what works for you in terms of preferred working hours, location and flexibility.
For information and advice about how to negotiate flexible arrangements with your employer see Starting the converstation.
For ideas on how to manage things at home see the Preparing your family section.
Nevil Amos, father of two, has managed to negotiate different arrangements to suit his family as their situation has changed. When his children reached school age he was able to access 'purchased leave' so that they could spend time together as a family during school holidays. Read more about how Nevil achieved this balance...
Tell Us Your Story.
We'd like to hear from you about your experiences of balancing work and family.