Celebrating the Superheroes of Productivity: Working Moms and Dads

This week, we're celebrating Father's Day and Mother's Day in Germany, and to mark these two special days, we'd like to celebrate our productive team heroes at DEMICON. With a whopping 16% of our DEMICONIANS being parents, they face the challenge of not only managing their work responsibilities but also finding the balance between work and family life. Good time management is key to staying productive and maintaining this balance.

"I set myself daily goals that I want to achieve and focus on times when I can do what I set out to do."
- shares Natascha, Talent Acquisition Specialist at DEMICON.

At DEMICON, we understand and appreciate the unique challenges that working parents face. And we are sure that we can still learn a lot from our working parents. That's why we asked them:

We are very grateful for our employees' wide range of responses and find it extremely thrilling to see what has emerged: 

Cathy (Junior Talent Acquisition Specialist)

1. Prioritise tasks: Identifying the most important tasks that need to be accomplished both at work and at home helps me focus my time and energy on what truly matters. Time blocking: I block specific time for work tasks and family responsibilities, through that I can maintain a clear separation between my work and family life while ensuring that I fulfil all my obligations. Take breaks: RECHARGE 
2. Identify your top priorities both at work and at home, and set clear boundaries to protect your time and energy. When you’re at work, focus on work tasks, and when you’re with your family, be fully present and engaged. Flexibility is key to successfully balancing work and family life. Be adaptable and willing to adjust your schedule or priorities Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace. Balancing work and family is a challenge. Celebrate your successes, learn from your mistakes, and remember that you’re doing the best you can.

Natascha (Talent Acquisition Specialist)

1. I set daily goals that I aim to achieve and focus times during which I  do what I planned to do.
2. Talking with family members and team for a better coordination.

Johan (Team Lead Engineering)

1. Make the most of the little ones’ care and sleep times so that you have time for them when they are at home and awake. They will demand this sooner or later.
2. In my experience and what I see in my circle of friends, the constellation of two full-time working parents after parental leave does not work or only very rarely works in the first few years, despite a lot of remote work. In other words, plan for one or both parents to work part-time after parental leave.

Patrick (Team Lead Sales)

2. In my opinion, it is very important to have your own space so that there is a clear distinction between private and professional life.There also needs to be structure and a clear, agreed distribution of tasks that is accepted and respected by all family members.
   
   
   

Yusi (Technical Consultant)

1. I prioritise regular exercise to maintain high energy levels, leveraging the flexibility of remote work for convenient workout scheduling, ensuring productivity at both work and home as a parent.
2. Stay true to yourself before parenthood, modeling positivity and resilience for your child. Embrace imperfection, fostering a nurturing environment where growth thrives
   
   
   

Daniel (Business Consultant)

1. Being two parents helps a lot. But my daughter goes to the Day Care / Kita and usually comes home around 3pm. And the rest of the time my wife takes care of her until I’m off work. Our son is still a baby, so he’s still fairly easy to handle. My wife has taken parental leave for a year until our son is bigger. This of course makes it a lot easier, not having to cover two jobs. On occasion it get’s a little trickier though, and I may need to take a break from work and finish it later in the evening. And I admit, television does also help out now and then. Yet, we mainly let our daughter watch Sesame Street, due to it’s non-violent and educational content.
2. Be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices. You have to plan for your me time. And you do need it. So deliberately make room for it. It doesn’t just happen. Really work on open communication with your partner, especially on an emotional level. Emotions will rise and get hot. Don’t bury them. It won’t work and they will explode. Trusting, open dialogue helps prevent anger and emotional pain. Kids can trigger you. But with your adult partner, you can work on that and the kids will be more chill as well, as they catch on to their parents vibes. If parent’s are chill, usually so are the kids. Make sure you can be chill.

Jessy (Event and Community Specialist)

2. Structure your daily routine: Begin by starting the washing machine and emptying the dishwasher. Get your children ready for kindergarten/school. Use the quite time after drop-off for work productivity and tasks that require concentration. When the kids are back at home, spend some quality time with your family.

Sissi (Accounting Specialist)

1. To stay productive, I enjoy quality time with the family, but also time for two with my husband and sometimes a little time out for myself.