“I’m on break, it’s my turn to hold him!” This is just one statement many fathers don’t get to say to their significant other as they usually do not have home based job. The first set of stressors that come with being a new parent is the concern of scheduling, finances, and returning to work.
Many women in the United States have the opportunity to take what is known as Maternity Leave, in which they are able to take time off of work and stay home to nurture and raise their newborns for the first three months (and sometimes longer) of their lives.
Even with the ability to take Maternity Leave, according to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), about 40% of women don’t even qualify for unpaid leave, leaving many families struggling to maintain the cost of living with the addition of a newborn. With my fiance being a nurse, we were blessed with her employer’s benefits but at a cut percentage of her regular pay while she is on leave.
Luckily, here at 5CA, I am blessed with the opportunity to handle my customer interactions from my home office which cuts back on travel time and expenses, allows my closeby presence in the event of an emergency, and provides me with nearly unlimited time to be a part of my newly-born son’s life. So overall, it works wonders for my work life balance.
I still remember when my fiance and I found out we were having a baby. After countless failed attempts prior, it was the best news I heard of the last decade. Since he came into this world, my perspective on life has changed dramatically. He’s become my best friend and greatest achievement to date.
Shortly before coming on board to 5CA, I was working for a work-at-home company where I also handled customer interactions. However, the metrics that were expected of me felt unreachable. This was beginning to make working from home less appealing. After six months of having the pleasure of working for 5CA, I can safely say that I have fallen in love with working from home once more. I was even given the opportunity to take time away from work in order to be there for my son’s arrival, which unexpectedly turned out to be three weeks early.
In addition to the convenience of being a work from home parent, the community that I clock in and interact with every day have all been a fantastic group to work with. Whenever I need assistance with something specific to a customer, they are there. Whenever I have needed to take a rare moment to step away from work due to a temporary illness or an unexpected event has occurred, 5CA provided me with options, such as rescheduling a workday so that I do not end up short on my next pay period. I’ve had prior experience with another company working from home and although the convenience of being at home during my two-year-long employment there was still a significant factor, I never experienced such graciousness in the way that 5CA has shown me.
Between my co-workers and the fact that this job has allowed me the gift of invaluable time spent with my son, I have embedded my soul here. I only wish myself and colleagues continued success on our path.
