As any professional working parent knows, finding the balance between professional commitments and family life can be a challenge at the best of times. Many have a complex network of child-care arrangements and back-ups that allow them to carry out their professional duties while keeping their families ticking over. When one parent, child or the nanny is ill – or the train is delayed en route to the nursery, these arrangements can be stretched and stress levels rise.
But while we can do little to eradicate unforeseen illness interrupting our professional lives, there are certain aspects of our lives we expect to have more control over. One of these is international work-related travel. Many have colleagues and employers who understand that their ability to travel internationally at the drop of a hat might be limited due to family commitments. Others are happy to travel for work but need notice so arrangements can be tweaked and the freezer stocked up before the trip. Clients however, are not always so understanding and you may not feel comfortable telling them that your availability to attend in person at any location around the globe might be limited in some way.
So what do you do when your biggest client insists you attend an hour-long meeting in Singapore next Wednesday? How does this upset the delicate balancing act you’ve put in place? Can the struts and supports of the back-up system step in to compensate for the sudden lack of one parent?
Solutions vary from family to family and are often dictated by your childcare options, but it is likely the other parent needs to step up their availability at home and attend Junior’s parents’ evening or put off that squash match with colleagues until next week. It is often the case that if one parent has a job that requires them to travel internationally, the other parent has managed to arrange their work life, either by luck or by judgement, to be based at the office and be available to manage drop-offs and pick-ups around their professional role.
But what if the other parent also has commitments to their clients that are immovable? What if they are called off to LA for a Thursday morning presentation? Who gets to go? Is it a question of whose client is bigger or more important? Do you take it in turns to take priority for international travel? And how do you explain to your client that it’s your partner’s turn to travel?
Some couples do simply take it in turns for international travel, while others demand at least, say, a week's notice of any trips to adjust childcare arrangements or get Granny safely installed at home. The option of combining a work trip with a family holiday can be attractive for others and many employers are happy to book the employee a larger hotel room abroad to accommodate the family as well. This option has worked for me, but for other parents, the thought of preceding a business meeting with a family breakfast in a hotel is not always so palatable!
Professional working parents might consider seeking support from their employers in these situations. The employer may suggest ways of managing client expectations and require warning of international travel requirements. They may also explore and facilitate alternatives such as video-conferencing. Technology is allowing ever more people to work remotely and/or from home and technological solutions might play a part in reducing the need for international travel at short notice.
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