Flu, COVID, RSV, Oh my! What is a working Mom or Dad to do?

It’s January, already the doldrums of post-holiday winter. Now, this year’s “triple-demic” is causing parents to have to juggle sick kids, their own illnesses, and the typical “hit the year running” workload.  How can companies help parents (and all employees) cope?

- Reinstitute some of the COVID mindset by keeping to the “stay home if you are sick or have a symptom” mandates – and extend it  to include  those in their household.

- Allow for remote work in these instances – even if it doesn’t match your “return to work” or “hybrid” requirements.

 - Allow for flexible work scheduling. Does it matter if the work is done at 8 am or 8 pm?  Set deadlines that are clear and allow the employees to work when they can to get the work accomplished.  I used to be able to tell when my employees put their kids down for a nap as I would get a flurry of emails and work completed.

 - Cancel non-essential meetings or record them if some employees  are unavailable. 

Surviving the triple-demic of 2023 means  making it more about the work being complete and less about the visibility of employees. This way, you allow space for your employees to manage their time and take care of their home and work responsibilities at a pace that works best.