WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: The 30-hour plan

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and hours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is about a

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<v Speaker 1>specific schedule that in a two adult family can use

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<v Speaker 1>to share childcare and give each party time to work.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are staring down a fall of working from

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<v Speaker 1>home with kids around, and you don't have any other

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<v Speaker 1>paid childcare options, this schedule can allow you to feel

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<v Speaker 1>a little less like you're in survival mode and a

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<v Speaker 1>little less pulled in all directions. So a few weeks

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<v Speaker 1>ago I talked about childcare when working from home long term.

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<v Speaker 1>If you have young kids, you really can't be the

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<v Speaker 1>adult in charge during the hours you are choosing to work. However,

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<v Speaker 1>if you have partner who is also working from home,

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<v Speaker 1>or another adult with whom you can share care, then

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<v Speaker 1>by arranging a formal swap schedule, you can each get

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<v Speaker 1>a reasonable amount of time to focus. Basically, you think

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<v Speaker 1>of each work day as eight am to six pm,

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<v Speaker 1>which consists of two shifts. Will also assume that any

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<v Speaker 1>young kids nap from roughly one to three pm, and

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<v Speaker 1>older children can have screen or quiet play time. During

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<v Speaker 1>this window. One parent will be technically on to deal

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<v Speaker 1>with disruptions, but will most likely be able to work

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<v Speaker 1>during this early afternoon time anyway. On half the week's

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<v Speaker 1>party A works from eight am to three pm Monday, Wednesday,

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<v Speaker 1>and Friday. Of that block, eight am to one pm

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<v Speaker 1>are focused work hours and one to three pm are

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<v Speaker 1>probable work hours. Party A also works from one to

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<v Speaker 1>six pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Party B works the

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<v Speaker 1>opposite hours on to six pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,

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<v Speaker 1>and then eight am to three pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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<v Speaker 1>Every week you switch the Friday schedule, so whoever has

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<v Speaker 1>the eight am to three pm schedule one week takes

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<v Speaker 1>one to six pm the next. If you calculate this out,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll see that in any given week, one person has

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<v Speaker 1>twenty nine hours to work and the other has thirty one.

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<v Speaker 1>This can alternate week to week, but in each week

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<v Speaker 1>hours are focused and four to six hours are probable

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<v Speaker 1>work hours. For this to work, of course, both parties

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<v Speaker 1>have to agree to the schedule, I mean really agree

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<v Speaker 1>and just as critically when either party is on with

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<v Speaker 1>the kids. That means keeping the kids out of the

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<v Speaker 1>other person's home office, no wandering off to take a

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<v Speaker 1>quick call only to find the kids camped out in

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<v Speaker 1>the other party's video conference. I'd also stressed that it

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<v Speaker 1>is probably much more efficient to just hire a sitter

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<v Speaker 1>for a few hours. That's the route my family has chosen.

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<v Speaker 1>But if that's not possible, then this schedule can give

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<v Speaker 1>each person something close to full time hours, and you

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<v Speaker 1>could actually get to full time hours by doing a

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<v Speaker 1>few further swaps, like each person working one evening a

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<v Speaker 1>week from six to ten pm, or doing an early

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<v Speaker 1>weekend morning shift. If the goal is for both people

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<v Speaker 1>to be able to keep moving forward in their careers,

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<v Speaker 1>then this can reduce the sense of trying to do

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<v Speaker 1>two things at once and feeling like a horrible employee

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<v Speaker 1>and a horrible parent at the same time. If you

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<v Speaker 1>swap work hours with your partner or another adult, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear about it. You can let me know

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<v Speaker 1>how it works in your household at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's the succeeding in the new corner office.

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<v Speaker 1>The new Corner Office is a production of I heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you get your favorite shows. M