striking a balance: how to succeed as a working parent in finance jobs.

tl;dr:

• The Struggle is Real: Balancing demanding finance jobs with parental responsibilities is tough due to long hours, high expectations, and childcare costs. Many consider reducing hours or quitting.
• Work-Life Balance is Key: Achieving balance helps manage stress, stay on top of finances, and allows for career progression.
• Time Management is Crucial: Prioritize tasks, introduce time blocking, and request flexible schedules from employers (including remote/hybrid work).
• Set Boundaries: Clearly separate work and home life by defining work/no-work zones, delegating chores, and communicating with employers.
• Leverage Technology: Use tools for automated accounting, time management (apps like Todoist, Clockify), stress management (Calm, Headspace), and communication (Zoom, Slack, WhatsApp).
• Strategies for Success: Seek advice from mentors and support groups, pursue personal passions, and take breaks to recharge.
• Key Takeaway: Balancing career and family is possible with effective time management, boundary setting, tech utilisation, support systems, and self-care.

introduction.

It’s a tough time to be a working parent. An increasing number of UK parents are struggling to meet childcare costs, 66% feel burned out, and according to the Working Parents Survey, nearly three-quarters of working parents with white collar jobs like finance have considered taking a pay cut or reducing their hours to pay for childcare.

Childcare costs are just one piece of the puzzle that parents need to solve. As a working parent in finance jobs, you also have to contend with high expectations, long hours, and demanding clients, all while considering the needs of your child.

If you’re struggling, you’re not alone; there’s no shame in feeling overwhelmed, and more importantly, there is a solution.

In this guide, we’ll look at time and stress management for working parents and discuss how you can be both a great parent and a competent professional.

exploring the struggles of maintaining work-life balance during tax season.

The financial sector is demanding at the best of times, but if you add parental responsibilities to the mix, those demands can increase tenfold, especially during tax season when pressures include:

• Tight deadlines
• High client expectations
• Limited flexibility
• Long working hours
• The instability of changing regulations

For a working parent in finance jobs, it can feel like the pressures are never-ending. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance for parents is tough because, in addition to meeting the demands of your clients and employers, you also have to consider the needs of your child.

Every day, you're juggling so much - getting your little ones to nursery or school, ensuring they're cared for after classes, and managing the countless small but crucial parental responsibilities. From coordinating after-school clubs to attending parents' evenings and scheduling healthcare appointments, you're constantly wearing multiple hats.

On the one hand, you want to progress in your career and be the best that you can be. You’re not here to just survive and make it from paycheque to paycheque. You want promotions—more responsibilities, more money, more job satisfaction. At the same time, you don’t want to miss seeing your kids grow up, fall short of childcare costs, or do anything that jeopardises their happiness.

This isn't just a logistical challenge; it's an emotional journey. You're trying to honour both your professional potential and your deep commitment to your family. It's a path that requires immense strength, creativity, and compassion - for both yourself and your children.

Know that your efforts to balance these competing priorities are not just admirable, but a testament to your incredible capacity as both a professional and a parent. This is why it is important to be able to find a good work-life balance. It can help you:

• Deal With Stress: There is no simple solution to stress management for working parents. It’s about incorporating various techniques (discussed below) that can help you to deal with stress.
• Stay on Top of Financial Obligations: One of the biggest contributors to finance job stress for parents is the concern that they won’t make enough to maintain childcare costs or keep paying the bills. We’re in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, so these are valid concerns.
• Progress in Your Career: A good work-life balance for parents opens the doors to new career opportunities. Once you have everything under control, you can stop stressing about the minutiae and start focusing on improving performance and results at the office.

time management for working parents in finance.

You may feel like you’re constantly running around and trying to please everyone, often to the detriment of your own time, health, and sanity. Proper time management for working parents, therefore, is the first step to maintaining a good work-life balance for parents:

• Prioritise Tasks: It might feel like you don’t have any free time, but if you’re constantly shifting between your work in finance and your responsibilities as a parent, your life will feel like a whirlwind of stress, and you may lose those valuable moments in between the chaos. Working parents in finance can benefit from apps like Todoist and Clockify, which will help you to better plan your days, prioritise your work, and create some free time. 
• Introduce Time Blocking: Task prioritisation in finance is difficult when that’s not your only role, but time blocking can help. Simply arrange your day into blocks of time, such as “6-8 am: get the kids ready for school and answer emails; 8-10 am: meetings and work on Project X”.
• Request a Flexible Schedule: Your tasks as a finance professional may be fairly rigid, but the same can’t be said for your parental responsibilities. One day, you’re getting them ready for school and arranging childcare, while the next, you’re thinking about dental appointments and field trips. Ask your employer for a more flexible schedule, one that considers the needs of your children and allows for remote or hybrid working.

setting boundaries to maintain work-life balance.

Setting boundaries in finance jobs means clearly separating your home life from your career, and it applies to both sides of the equation.

Here are some work-life balance tips for working parents:

• Make it clear to your employers that you’ll work only during office hours and aren’t at their beck and call when you’re at home.
• Create “no-work” and “work-only” zones at home, making sure you’re not distracted in the latter and don’t turn on your work phone or check your emails in the former.
• Delegate household chores. Good parent work-life integration requires some assistance from partners and even your kids. If that’s not possible, see if another family member can help or look into hiring a cleaner.
• Communicate clearly with your employers. A working parent in finance jobs must let their employers know that they have responsibilities away from the office and aren’t a constant slave to client demands, emails, and phone calls.

leveraging technology and automation for work-life balance.

Some have treated the AI revolution as a threat to their livelihood, while others have met it with confusion, not quite sure how it benefits them or even how all of this game-changing technology works.

But a working parent in finance can greatly benefit from AI tools and other software, using it to take control of menial tasks, create free time, and restore order to the often chaotic and disordered life of a working parent:

• Automate Accounting: Just because you’re in finance doesn’t mean you have to stick with traditional accounting methods. Automated accounting software for parents can make your work easier while helping you to manage your personal finances. Xero and QuickBooks are two of the best-known tools, but you can also use personal finance tools built into Quicken Simplifi, YNAB, and Monarch, as well as handy savings, budgeting, planning, and investment tools in online banking services like Revolut, Wise, and Monzo.
• Time Management for Working Parents: We’ve already discussed some of the best time management apps for parents, including Todoist and Clockify, but there are others, such as Wunderlist for task management, Cozi and FamilyWall for family chores, shopping lists, and responsibilities, and FancyHands for virtual assistants.
• Stress Management for Working Parents: The Calm app is great for improving your sleep, which is a struggle for many as working parents in finance jobs. Apps like Mindfulness Coach, Happify, and Headspace promote well-being practices, and there is no shortage of fitness and health apps (Strava, 8fit, MyFitnessPal, Aaptiv) to boost your resolve. 
• Technology for Work-Life Balance: With video conferencing tools like Zoom and project management/collaboration tools like Monday, Slack, and Asana, it has never been easier to adapt to remote or hybrid work.
• Communication Apps: How do you communicate with your kids, partner, and other loved ones? How do you monitor their needs and roles? In addition to the aforementioned FamilyWall and Cozi, which manage responsibilities and other essentials, you should make sure you’re all connected to a secure, quick messaging service that allows group chats, including WhatsApp. Life360 is also great for monitoring where your kids are, while FaceTime is an easy way to conduct video calls across Apple devices.

strategies for career success and family fulfilment.

You might feel like you’re hanging on and doing what’s necessary to keep your family and employees happy, but you can take control of both sides of your life, maintain some long-term work-life balance, and progress in your career.

• Seek Advice: Work with a mentor, ask colleagues in a similar situation for advice and join online communities and support groups. There is a wealth of resources out there geared toward working parents and parent career growth in finance, including everything from the WorkingMoms SubReddit to the Working Families charity.
• Follow Your Passions: Career success for working parents is often at the top of the agenda, right behind the health of their family. But these shouldn’t be the only two things in your life. Follow your passions and use your free time wisely, as it will build your confidence and self-esteem while giving you motivation and boosting your well-being.
• Take a Break: Use your holiday time wisely. Book a summer break, spend some quality time with the family or by yourself, and recharge your batteries.

conclusion: managing as a working parent in finance jobs.

While it can feel like a constant uphill struggle, it is possible to commit to both your career and your home life. You just need to use your time wisely, seek mentorship and support where available, take regular breaks, create boundaries, don’t overcommit yourself, and use the abundance of technology at your disposal to make your life easy.

Remember, this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Progress might sometimes feel slow, but with consistent effort, a positive mindset, and these strategic approaches, you can successfully advance your career while maintaining a fulfilling and rich personal life. 

Start implementing these strategies today and make a change that will take your life from pause to fast-forward—you’ll be climbing the career ladder before you know it.

Also, you can always explore more resources on task, time, and stress management and never forget about your mental health! And, of course, join the Randstad F&A Community for helpful resources and gain a competitive edge in this rapidly evolving landscape. 

Here's what you'll gain:

• Connect with Experts: Network with industry leaders, share best practices, and stay ahead of the curve.
• Unlock Career Opportunities: Explore exciting roles in sustainable finance and find the perfect fit for your skills and ambitions.
• Access Valuable Resources: Develop your F&A expertise with exclusive content, training materials, and industry insights.

Join the Randstad F&A Community today and position yourself for success in the next steps of your career.