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I am a development sector professional (Masters in social work) with 6 years experience in health, education, livelihood promotion , empowerment of women and adolescents, child protection areas with International NGOs and CSR.
I am looking for opportunities in banglore in CSR , consulting firms, INGOs , other funding agencies. I have hands on experience in project management, team management, operations , M&E. Help me with referrals n leads.
Email :
rajalrana1992@gmail.com
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Been away from SF for 8 months. How is SF now?
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I say give it a try. I went on a reduced schedule after my second. It has been a huge mental relief. I like that my goal is now “how to work less” rather than always feeling like I have to do more. But it does take a lot of work to actually work less (calendar blocking, default “no” to new work, tools for deflecting/refusing new work, etc.) But there is a sense of “permission” to say no to work that has been valuable, both externally and internally. I bought the right to say no to work I don’t want to do. An unexpected benefit is that I enjoy a greater percentage of the work I do since I get to be more choosy.
3 years NEP. I came back from my second leave full time and knew pretty much immediately that there was no way that was going to work.
Reduced billables without reduced in-office requirements just seems like a mildly slower path to burnout with less compensation along the way. Also, depending on your practice area, consider what reduced billables would even look like, e.g. if youre in a transactional practice, would you still be expected to be available 24/7 in the days leading to signings and closings? The new-parent burnout often arises from the frustration of wanting to be present with family instead of working, so if you won't have protected evenings or weekends and have to commute 4 days per week, you will feel that frustration frequently.
After my second, I remained at 100% schedule, but became fully remote (though available in person for client meetings, trainings, etc.), and it has been generally manageable.
Fair point on this. Learn how they track in office and if that provides any helpful flexibility. For example, for us, it’s just a yes/no per day, so if I’m only in for an hour, it still counts. That may be helpful or not depending on commute and other logistics.
Also consider what the consequences of noncompliance are. If it’s a financial cost (e.g., bonus eligibility) the that’s just another math problem. If it’s promotion eligibility, you’ll have to consider how much that matters to you and if that can be explained away when the time comes. My firm doesn’t have a clear consequence associated with the in office “expectation” (other than eligibility for leadership roles which I have no interest in). So I’m putting in some effort but I’m not going to sweat it too much either as long as everything else is going well.
I would take as big of a reduction as I could manage in salary and hours requirement. As you well know, that first year demands a lot out of you. And with a toddler you'll still have them having their needs, too. Reduce as much strain on demands to your time as you can manage.
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Agree. Maybe you’re coming in 4 days, but it’s the difference between leaving at 4 PM vs 7 PM. Maybe it’s a few busy months and then feeling free to decline some projects or enjoy a lull. Maybe it’s never working a weekend. It’s all worth it when your kids are little. Take advantage of every hour you can log with your family.
After an extremely low in office attendance I recently got a talking to but have never had any financial penalty. Might try to ride it out and just quiet quit until they fire me.
You would have to gauge this advice for your teams, but if you have supportive partners, especially if they have kids, you could also have frank conversations, like I told people I would have a harder time traveling for work while breastfeeding and before my kids reliably sleep through the night. Obviously some people won't care, but those who do will understand you aren't just being flippant.
In case helpful, my firm only offers a reduced billable requirement. You still have to go in office four days a week and everything else is per usual, you just have option of 70% or 80% billable requirement and corresponding salary and bonus cut.
F
I wish I could go fully remote that really would solve a lot here. My firm explicitly disallows that
I was at a similar firm and ended up leaving and going to a fully remote small firm. It's been life changing for me as a working mom.