Balancing Work and Family
It can be difficult to balance the demands of home and work. Understanding the challenges posed by your situation can help you be proactive. You can explore options with your current employer to determine how to manage this.
You may have concerns that having a child with a chronic health condition may impact your work. This can be especially tough if you are a single parent. You may worry about reducing the number of hours you work or losing your job, resulting in a loss of income.
Another job-related challenge for caregivers is keeping health insurance coverage. Be sure to review the section on getting coverage in the Medical Insurance section in case you lose employer-sponsored insurance coverage.
Some families reduce hours, take a less demanding position, or change jobs to accommodate their unique situations. Be sure to ask about different options, such as working from home or a different schedule to allow you to work more effectively. There are also options available to you to take necessary time off while protecting your job. Talk with your employer to see if you qualify for protection under the Family Medical Leave Act (more information below). Even if you do not qualify under the Family Medical Leave Act, good communication with your employer may help.
Despite the challenges, many caregivers maintain a career while providing care for their child. Some parents have also found new and rewarding careers that support their parenting roles or allow them to use their experience as a caregiver of a child with medical challenges. The skills you are developing now can be useful in the job arena. Some examples include time management, budgeting, setting goals, analytical thinking, and relationship building. You are also learning other traits that employers value such as perseverance, flexibility, and determination. Like many of the challenges you may encounter, you will adapt and determine what is best for you and your family.
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Family Medical Leave is one option to help protect your employment if you require time off to care for a loved one. It allows eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specific family and medical reasons. It also allows continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms as if you had not taken leave. You may be eligible to use leave as one block of time, or intermittently, depending on your child’s condition and needs. Be sure to communicate with your employer if this impacts you. Your child’s doctor may have to fill out paperwork for you to qualify.
Covered employers under the FMLA include:
- Private employers who employ 50 or more employees in 20 or more work weeks in the current calendar year or previous calendar year,
- Public agencies (including Federal, State, and local government employers, regardless of the number of employees), and
- Local educational agencies (including public school boards, public elementary and secondary schools, and private elementary and secondary schools, regardless of the number of employees).
Eligible employees are those who work for covered employers under the FMLA and:
- Have worked for their employer for at least 12 months,
- Have at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the 12 months before their FMLA leave starts, and
- Work at a location where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles.
More specific information on the Family Medical Leave Act is available on the US Department of Labor’s website. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla
“My priorities, my time and my own goals have had to shift. I’ve not had to abandon these things; however, I do look at each of them within the context of the responsibilities of being a parent and caregiver to my child.”
