It’s an interesting title for us, this one. Of course nurseries are businesses, and nursery schedules and work practises have been impacted by the need for flexible working as much as any other enterprise. However, there’s more to it than just an adjustment to the way staff are working for pre-school providers. There’s the changes to the work practises of parents and carers too. Let’s face it, flexible working for some parents is going to mean they need flexible childcare as well.
We’ve all got the basics covered now, so what’s next?
As a result of legislation, changes to work practises had already been in full flow before the pandemic. However, Covid now means nurseries are also well practised at ensuring social distancing, controlling visitor traffic, and managing contact with others. It’s effectively enforced flexible working on steroids.
So what does this new era of flexible working mean for nurseries, bearing mind it’s to become the main approach to working for nearly three quarters of businesses? Do nurseries need to adjust further? Or is it more a matter of accepting the change is now here to stay?
Let’s consider what the new norm looks like
With respect to parents, many people have changed their working patterns, taken on new shifts, or dropped from full time to part time. And though some may have started working from home, they will also have discovered that working with young ones at home isn’t easy to juggle. So what do their requirements look like now?
There will be many things you will be reviewing for parents, but three good examples include:
- Extending your opening hours to facilitate shift and on-call workers
- More flexibility around term times
- The offer of holiday clubs with flexible hours
These are all very significant considerations, though, and it’s not as simple as just telling staff to adjust their work patterns to suit new needs.
What impact is this going to have on your staffing and recruitment?
Flexible working had already been high on the agenda for nursery managers before Covid. But the pandemic has certainly emphasised the opportunities it offers and got the grey matter working for many. You will, therefore, undoubtedly be working out how to attract and keep the best people; considering what flexibility you can offer; doing your best to ensure work/life balance; and checking your overall employment packages.
All those high level thoughts may then be translating into ideas such as:
- Offering more part-time working
- Compressing the working week
- Offering study leave for trainees
- Adapting shifts to accommodate school hours
- Offering unpaid leave/sabbaticals
- Offering childcare to your staff
- Continuing home-based working for admin staff
- Job sharing
- Mixing up the level of staff you recruit e.g. apprentices
- Arranging for services to be carried out on site e.g. car cleaning, dry cleaning etc.
- Offering low-cost extras e.g. arranging exercise classes after the working day
This list shows how creative we all now need to be to adjust to this new norm. The key thing to remember is that we’re all in this together. What works for nursery managers, has got to work for both staff and parents, and most importantly has to be what’s best for the children in your care.
One of the great things about the nursery sector, though, is that we’re incredibly resilient, determined, and resourceful. If you’ve had any great ideas on how to overcome some of the challenges presented to those working in this industry, please do share them with us. There’s lots to consider and discuss!