Call: ‘Employers can be more flexible now’.

Call: ‘Employers can be more flexible now’.

Employers can be understanding and flexible toward working parents in this time. For example, leave can be handled more generously. This is the view of Lobke Vlaming (director of Ouders & Onderwijs), Judy Hoffer (board member of the FNV), and Marjet Winsemius (director of Voor Werkende Ouders).

That Is In A Letter To The Editor From The Trio In The Volkskrant. They Find That The Pressure On Working Parents Has Increased A Lot Since Schools And Childcare For Non-Essential Jobs Closed. According To Them, It Is Getting Harder To Combine Work And Care.

Parents Combine Work With Playing Teacher

Especially Now It Has Become Clear That Parents Have To Play Teacher Until The May Holidays, The Situation Is More Worrying. The Pressure On Working Parents Is Normally Already High, But Since Schools And Childcare For Non-Essential Jobs Closed, Parents Are Working From Home With Their Children Massively. Childcare, But Also Primary Education, Allowed Many Parents To Combine Work And Care. Now That These Necessary Facilities Are Gone, Many Parents Are At A Loss. Some Parents Have To Calm An Argument During A Conference Call Or Help With A Math Problem Their Child Does Not Understand. They Divide The Tasks So That You And Your Partner Work Half The Day And Do Homeschooling The Other Half, And Then Both Make Up The Lost Hours For Your Employer In The Evening. Parents Are Employee, Parent, Teacher, Guard, And Educator All In One. They Do All These Tasks In About 150 Square Meters And During Their Normal Working Hours. Combining A Job With Homeschooling Is An Impossible Task For Many. For Three Weeks This Was Still Manageable, But Now That The Situation Lasts Longer, The Pressure On Working Parents Is Too High.

‘In Many Families, Things Are Already Getting Less Pleasant,’ Notes Lobke Vlaming In The Volkskrant. ‘The Separation Of Work, Parenting, And School Exists For A Reason. It Is Not An Ideal Combination When It All Comes Together At Home. The Result, We Hear From Parents: You Can Actually Do Nothing Right Anymore. It Feels Like You Are Failing On All Sides.’

Fortunately, There Are Employers – Especially At Larger Companies And Government Organizations – Who Understand The Difficult Situation Parents Are In Now. There Are Great Examples Of Employers Who Say That Health And Family Come First In These Difficult Times. Unfortunately, This Does Not Apply To All Employers. The Signals Received By Ouders & Onderwijs Through The Advice Point Are Varied.

Work Pressure Weighs On Parents’ Shoulders

Employees Who Cannot Work From Home But Have Children At Home Are Expected To Show Up. How They Solve This Is Up To Them. In Some Cases, There Are Even Threats Of Dismissal If They Cannot Manage, Which Makes Parents – Against The RIVM Guidelines – Still Bring The Children To Grandpa And Grandma. But Exhaustion Also Lurks. Many Home Workers In Non-Essential Jobs Often Work Extra Long Days To Compensate For Their ‘Less Productive Care/Education Hours’. As A Result, They Work About Ten To Twelve Hours A Day Or Even On The Weekend. Our Leave System Is Not Designed For This Exceptional Situation. Emergency Leave Is Only For Acute Situations And At Most A Few Days. Care Leave Is Only For Caring For A Sick Family Member. Moreover, Under The Threat Of A New Economic Crisis, It Is Not Easy For Parents To Tell Their Employer That They Cannot Work Optimally Now.

‘Many Parents Find It Tough To Be Home Almost All The Time And Teach The Children,’ Says Marjet Winsemius, Director Of The Foundation For Working Parents. ‘We Also Hear That Employers Do Not Always Think Along Well. They Say, For Example: Your Work Must Be Done, So Arrange It. If We Want To Keep This Up Longer Together, Parents Need Some Flexibility To Teach, Do Their Work, And Keep Things Pleasant At Home.’

It Puts Parents In An Impossible Position Between Work And Family. It Can Be Managed For A Short Period In These Strange Times, But Now That Schools And Childcare Remain Closed Longer, Parents Need Better Support Than Has Been The Case So Far.

The Call

Therefore, We Call On Employers To Be Flexible And Understanding Towards Working Parents. We Call On Schools To Think Along With Parents In This. And We Call On The Government And Employers To Be Generous With Leave. Mark This Special Period As An Emergency And Make Sure Parents Can Use 100 Percent Paid Leave Generously. Employers Should Be Able To Get Compensation For This From The Government. We Must Come Out Stronger Together. Let’s Make Sure Parents And Children Do Not Become Burned Out Or Lose Their Jobs Because Of This Crisis.

Jordy Hoffers On Behalf Of FNV, Martjes Winsemius On Behalf Of Voor Werkende Ouders And Lobke Vlaming On Behalf Of Ouders & Onderwijs.