This week has been a challenging week for WoMos impacted by the beast from the east.
I have heard about closed nursery schools, a broken boiler in a local school and snow days. So how do you manage it when you have a crisis?
I suppose it depends where you work, whether you can work from home, what your support network is like and whether or not you have a back up plan. So how can you handle it when you know a crisis may be upon you?
- Talk to your line manager in advance. Explain you are concerned that if the weather is bad tomorrow, you may not make it into the office.
- Take your laptop home (if you have one) and have what you need to work from home.
- Reschedule face to face meetings to another time, or move to a call.
- Plan for 'head down' work that is often hard to accomplish in the office when there are other distractions.
- Talk to your team and give them the same flexible opportunity.
And if you have no idea the crisis is upon you..... And you wake up to a blanket of snow?
- fire a message to the office as soon as you can, and your team if necessary to communicate your plans.
- check if there are any messages from the school/nursery. Note, these often come a bit later, typically just at the moment you are about to leave for work - urgh!
- be ready with your back up plan.
Lots of bigger companies have emergency childcare support and can help in a crisis if you really need help. Otherwise, if your child is in nursery or a school, its a snow day for you too!
Get some hot porridge on the go, some warm socks on, hat and gloves and get out there for a snowball fight.