March 30, 2009

Parents being Creative with Childcare and Part time Work-at-Home Arrangements
Vancouver, BC

In survey results just released by Nannies on Call, momcafé and ConnectMoms, parents are to be praised for their creativity in managing the work/childcare balance and in resourcing their at-home work spaces. Not only are moms and dads in the small business world enjoying more flexibility but they are also implementing unique solutions to enable optimal cash flow and time with family.

The survey was completed by parents who lived in the Greater Vancouver area, who worked in a location outside of a traditional office/storefront/clinical setting and who had children under the age of 6. Results said that the majority of workers spent most of their time at their home office to complete their work (96%), but when not there, could be found at their “boardrooms” located at the local coffee shop (33%), at head office (26%) or at a client’s office (25%). To replace all the services provided by a “company office”, the findings reflect a high level of self sufficiency that is supplemented by a far reaching network of outsourcing, everything from online virtual assistants and technical services to renting packaged office space. The majority (61%) of these flexible employees/entrepreneurs are spending less than 5% of their working income for work space, with a further 21% only paying between 6-10%. As a result, more funds are available to enjoy a trip to the local coffee shop to meet with a client or an afternoon out with the family because the parent’s work schedule also allows for these perks.

Findings of the survey reflect that the majority of parents (53%) work regular daytime hours to offset the hours they have care for their children. Results also indicated, however, that these hours were largely supplemented by irregular hours, such as evenings and weekends, to complete their work projects. Traditional hours do not necessarily apply to this group; individuals are creative as to when and where their projects will be completed. When asked why they worked these hours, 55% of the participants responded that they worked around their children’s needs versus an employer dictating the exact hours an employee should be “at their desk”.

“Within the Canadian corporate environment we have been advocating for results rather than hours spent behind a desk for a number of years. With the high level of connectivity that technology brings, employees or entrepreneurs are able to ensure they are successful at work without being tied to traditional work hours,” said Sarah Fowles, co-Founder & Communications Director, Connect Moms.

The majority of childcare ranged from a combination of part-time preschool/daycare (56%) through to employing nannies or babysitters (51%). When families needed very flexible, irregular hour childcare, 41% of the participants had their children looked after by family members or friends. Unfortunately of the 49% who claim not to have flexible childcare, 69% of these survey participants have lost business opportunities due to this fact.

Michelle Kelsey, President of Nannies on Call states, “The trend that we have noticed is a greater inclination to thinking outside the box which allows business to follow suit and provide unique childcare/job share solutions. Our mission now is to address the 67% of people who have missed work opportunities due to lack of childcare and find them a flexible/affordable solution.”

A strong majority of participants work in the small business world at 74% and the corporate world follows with “unleashed workers” at 11%. With the mobile business world represented by 8% of the survey participants and 7% indicated as “other”, it was an insightful survey with a good cross-section of careers and creative solutions.

The survey participants are mostly in the fields of communications, marketing, sales or business/administration. Although the majority of participants worked from home part time, a significant number (26%) also worked full time.
Despite several participants admitting that they missed some social aspects of the office, participants felt that this personal interaction could be found elsewhere and ultimately they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their home-based business and childcare arrangements.

Jill Earthy, co-founder of momcafé stated, “The results confirm the movement we’ve been witnessing toward parents challenging more traditional ways of structured child care and moving towards business opportunities that provide the support young families need to thrive in our dual income reality world”. Earthy continues, “All three of our organizations are seeing growth within our services and membership as a result. It is awesome to see families come out ahead as they reach into communities for forums, support and just sharing resources”.
For more information, contact Michelle Kelsey.
Tel: 604-734-1776
michelle@nanniesoncall.com
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Nannies on Call, ConnectMoms and momcafé have joined forces to help educate and connect progressive employers and professionally-minded moms seeking balanced success both at work and at home. Together, they represent more than 11,000 corporate, entrepreneurial and stay-at-home moms across the country.
Nannies on Call is Western Canada's premier childcare agency serving Calgary, Vancouver and Whistler. We have been offering exceptional on call, temporary, part-time and full-time nanny services since 2001, and especially tailor our services to working Moms and Dads. www.nanniesoncall.com t: 604-734-1776 e: michelle@nanniesoncall.com

momcafé is connecting and inspiring like-minded moms by providing an interesting and supportive forum in which moms can learn from each other and share ideas. This is achieved through regular meetings, quarterly seminars and access to online resources. momcafé is designed to support the dialogue between educated, savvy women who are striving to balance their lives. www.momcafenetwork.com t: 604290 4236 e: jill@momcafenetwork.com

ConnectMoms connects professionally minded moms with careers and inspiring content. We seek out companies whose workplace environments recognize that the best employees have different needs at different times throughout their careers. We strive to attract companies who offer results-oriented and flexible cultures in order to present job opportunities and career-related content that reflect the dynamic needs of working moms. www.connectmoms.com e: sarah@connectmoms.com