Is Remote Working the Real Future?

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So, we’re emerging tentatively from lockdown, some are going back to work as it was before and some are out of work entirely, but the common feeling is that the world of work post-COVID, especially for women, is forever changed. The lack of childcare, paired with the way a lot of us have been juggling our own work with homeschooling (or trying to homeschool), as well as holding stress of financial and health worries is forcing us into a new kind of work style. We are feeling like we are endlessly spinning plates and waiting for them to drop. With this uncertainty in mind, I spoke with Ciara Garvan, founder of Irish recruitment company for flexible workers, WorkJuggle, about the new data they are releasing today, to get a sense of how women are feeling about work right now.

the workjuggle survey

If you could sum up the key learning you are taking from the WorkJuggle survey, what would it be?

That we are living very different experiences. Some people are enjoying the time at home and lack of a commute whilst others are really struggling. Add in the financial uncertainty, lack of a clear roadmap for the future, the general geopolitical turmoil and the home has become a pressure cooker for some.

Here are the key figures…

Just over 40% said they were either enjoying lockdown life (23%) or even go so far to say as loving it (17%).

For others though, it was proving to be an extremely stressful experience ( 13%) and that same number again (13%) couldn't wait to get out of there.

Of our respondents, 86% had children living at home with them and of those, 76% were children who were primary school age. We asked them if they were missing the office. Again, the responses varied, 42% said either only a little or not at all. Only 7% of people missed the office terribly and a further 14% admitted to missing the office more than they would have previously realised.

But the real telling piece was when we asked about the commute 67% said they were not missing their commute at all. Not even a little bit. Of all our respondents 3.5% said they were missing it.

One key question was around working patterns and whether people will go back to how we worked before pre COVID-19. Over 44% of people said no, not at all, that this was now a permanent change.

What do you think women need from their work lives most at this moment in 2020.

Honestly? Childcare! That and financial security... both of which are in very short supply at the moment.

How do you feel women have coped throughout the lockdown in terms of work?

I think it has been very tough. Professions such as Caring and Retail are female dominated and have been badly impacted by the pandemic. In dual income families in white collar jobs it is still tricky. I have lost count of the amount of women I have spoken to who are doing their work at the kitchen table while also trying to homeschool their kids. On the jobs front we have women who are unable to take up new roles as they don't know when or how schools will reopen. For many, grandparents were the magic piece of the puzzle which kept everything turning but for the most part they are no longer able to do childminding.

Honestly it feel like from a gender perspective things are going backwards for women.

What gave you the impetus to set up WorkJuggle?

WorkJuggle was borne from my own frustration trying to balance work and managing the demands of a small family. I still wanted to work, but needed some flexibility. There were no recruitment agencies out there with an interest in flexible or remote work so I started my own! Since then we have done a huge amount of contract work and expanded into consulting and training.

What advice do you have for women looking for a work-life pivot? Either coming back to work after taking time to be with their kids, taking a sabbatical, or looking to change the way they work within an organisation in order to have more flexibility?

My main bit of advice would be to "own your gap". Be proud of what you have achieved during your time out of the paid workforce. If you are looking to work more flexibly, then I normally suggest the following path.

Ask

Yes, that may appear obvious but no employer, no matter how good is going to telepathically know that you want more flexible hours. You need to open up the conversation and get a feel for how it is going to be received. Remember, you don’t always know what is going on behind the scenes. There could be having to activate cost-cutting measures which mean they would be only too delighted to grant you a four day week or five half days.

What’s in it for them?

People often get caught up in why flexible working would work for them. Childcare, a partner’s shift work and long commutes Most employers don’t really need to know the minutiae of your daily domestic routine. What they do need to know however is how is this going to benefit them. Or at the very least not disrupt their lives in anyway. So think about why this will work for the company, as well as why it will work for you.

Be prepared.

Think long and hard about why remote working might not work and what the obstacles are. Then have a solution prepared for every one of those problems. Really try and have it thought through, not just from your perspective but also from your work colleagues, your clients, your boss, their boss, everyone. The only way flexible working really works is that if it is seamless and hassle-free for everyone involved.

Do it on a trial basis.

Most companies will shy away from committing to something long-term. Especially it is untried. Offer to work flexibly for a short period of time only. Perhaps over the summer months or for one quarter. Set up an appointment to review it with your boss and see how it is working for everyone, not just you. Also be prepared that it may not just work for your job or situation, and be gracious if it does not. If the trial period was a mess of missed appointment and stressful phone calls then just review, and mutually agree that it is not working. Then really ask yourself which is more important; the job or the flexibility? It may be that you are happy to stay and having tried working flexibly decided it isn’t for you. Or it may be that you need more flexibility. You will only know if you put it into practice as best you can.

Don’t get emotional

No meeting ever ends well if one of you is in tears after it. Take deep breaths and be prepared for all outcomes. Remember this may just be an opening salvo, or it may be the start of realising that you and the company you work for are incompatible in terms of your values. Either way you will learn more by having the conversation than sitting at your desk wondering if this was ever going to be a possibility.

The time is ripe for change in the world right now, so if you need a new future for the way you work, it’s the perfect time to work towards it.

WorkJuggle released their full survey data on their Instagram this morning, head over to take a look.

Ellie Balfe, June 2020.