Why Back To School And The Office Simply Must Not Mean Back To Normal

Finally, the burden of home-schooling is lifted and employees are starting to plan a hybrid return to the office. While the seemingly obsessive focus on flexibility and working from home is by no means a poison arrow, it’s also far from the silver bullet. Flexibility doesn’t care for elderly relatives. Or get the shopping done. Or remember the kid's activities tomorrow. The burden still falls largely on the shoulders of women who must look after the family. All whilst working. All while their employers insist they’re bending over backwards to accommodate their needs, being flexible about hours, even letting them work from home some days so there’s no commute. What more do you want?

How about some equality that will even-up the massive imbalance that STILL exists between the careers of working men and working women? 

As Terri Apter’s study from The Female Lead "Women at work: breaking free of the unentitled mindset" reveals, most firms understand the importance of gender equality and want to champion it. But many are uncertain about precisely how to change and don’t realise that the steps they’re taking aren’t enough to address the full range of inequalities.

Apter’s study also reveals there’s sufficient statistical data to show that women’s careers tend to stall at the mid-stage point. “The focus of previous research and initiatives has been on increasing numbers of women at entry level or at the very senior level of organisations. The crucial mid-stage phase of women’s careers has been ignored, yet this is precisely the phase at which firms tend to lose female talent.”

New legislation and changes in gender norms have helped, but there still isn’t equality. All those tasks still weigh heavily on the minds of working parents. Forcing them to figure out how the million and one things on their list can be divided by two leaving enough energy remaining to enjoy some semblance of a family life. It’s this mental burden that leads to stress, which inevitably stifles performance in the workplace.

And if women are expecting the pandemic to provide a watershed moment in which pre-COVID inequalities are replaced by a new, female-friendly world order, they could be in for a shock according to Apter’s report: “Recent data shows employees are more likely to harbour an ‘unentitled mindset’, believing they should be “grateful for having a job” and should be thankful rather than demanding.”

 If there’s no room to demand change, and no great help from well-meaning legislation designed to help women progress their careers, where are the solutions coming from to resolve the mental pressures? Where is the relief for working mothers who, on top of their job responsibilities, have to remember that Tuesday is violin day, Wednesday is take in a pound and wear something red day, Thursday is a late pick-up, next Friday is Mufti Day and the following week is the start of the summer holidays and…

Surely, the answer lies in coming at the problem from a different angle. To shift the focus from helping women in the workplace to helping them outside of work. Assisting them with tasks in the home, looking after family, keeping the house running. Getting someone else to take care of the essentials and handle the chores of daily life. Thereby freeing-up more time for parents to work, relax, and restore some balance.

That’s the driving force behind BlckBx, the service that provides family and lifestyle assistance to overworked, overstressed working parents. Employers can make BlckBx part of their employee benefits packages, offering gamechanging support for working women struggling to keep up with daily demands. The service also appeals to working men who want to be more active fathers and share the load.

As every working parent knows - women especially - lifting the burden of home-schooling is a huge relief. But there’s a whole raft of other tasks they desperately need help with if they are to have the energy they need to focus properly on home and family life, while thriving in the workplace.

www.blckbx.co.uk