It’s 10.30am.  

I’ve just made my coffee and booted up my laptop to kickstart the work day. Sounds like the ideal start to a work-from-home (WFH) day, right? 

Except for the fact that I’ve barely had more than 3 hours of sleep the night before. 

My daughter – in her wisdom gained from five months of babyhood – decided that the time I was going to bed was the appropriate time for her to wake up and initiate a staring contest. It was my turn to take the night shift, hence I was the chosen competitor. And so, we competed through the wee hours of the morning in between my futile attempts to pat her back to sleep. These baby growth spurts hit hard, and she was going through another one. 

By the time I handed baby over to my wife for her feed, it was 6.30am.  Baby was clearly the victor in the staring contest, as I crashed in defeat and succumbed to sleep. 

I hope this was ample justification for starting work a little later today, as I begin writing this article. While this may be frowned upon by some, I’m grateful that my workplace has given me breathing space as I manoeuvre the demands of parenthood. For one, the flexible work arrangements here allow for us to have scheduled WFH days.  Occasionally, our work hours can be somewhat flexible too. As long as meetings and deadlines are accounted for and we are contactable during work hours, we have the autonomy to order our workday and catch up on work outside of the usual work hours. 

My supervisor – being a parent herself – is understanding, and my colleagues and I trust one another to complete our share of the work. 

(The baby is crying. I’ll be right back.) 

We even have a term for it: baby therapy.

It’s 1pm.  

I’ve just put baby down for her nap, and hopefully that buys me some time to continue writing.  

Baby was fussing earlier, and my wife needed some time to prepare to leave for work. As a tuition teacher, her work schedule differs significantly from mine. She has lessons scheduled for the entire afternoon today and would only be back home later in the evening. My WFH arrangement was intentionally scheduled to allow me to care for our daughter on such days.  

There are times when I would need to attend in-office meetings on my scheduled WFH days. When this happens, I am grateful to be able to bring baby along with me. 

During my daughter’s first visit, the entire office – even our CEO – stopped work and gathered around the stroller to enjoy baby’s presence, and many took turns carrying her. We even have a term for it: “baby therapy,” and I’m glad that my colleagues enjoy having baby around.  

A major diaper accident happened during one of baby’s subsequent visits. Instead of being told off for the mess and unpleasant smell, colleagues who were fellow parents jumped in to save the distressed baby and father. 

I attend meetings in office with baby strapped to me in a carrier. However, it is not uncommon to see staff helping to babysit toddlers while the parent attends a meeting, or to see older children roaming around the office.  

At the time of writing this, three of our colleagues had just given birth within the same week, and at least one more was due in the coming months. Our People and Culture team were hard at work preparing the office for these newborns and had converted one of our counselling rooms into a nursing room, complete with a diaper changing table. These may be small gestures but they show the organisation’s support for our team members entering the season of parenthood. 

We not only take the time to get to know one another as colleagues but as friends as well, and this too has a great impact on how we work. 

It’s 4pm. 

Baby had a solid two-hour nap and I’ve been entertaining her for the past hour. She is currently enjoying tummy time on the play-mat, as I sit close by and squeeze in as many sentences as I can before she decides that she requires my full attention again. 

I was writing about my team’s culture earlier this morning. Beyond the flexible work policies and child-friendly workplace, people here trust one another both professionally and relationally. We not only take the time to get to know one another as colleagues but as friends as well, and this too has a great impact on how we work.  

There have been times when I have found myself falling behind on work. Before baby came, I would have been able to easily catch up if I pulled a few extra hours and ignored everything else to get the work done. But with baby now, I can’t exactly ignore her when she cries for my attention.  

At times like these, the team has been gracious to cover for me. Likewise, I return the favour when my capacity allows me to. Weekly team check-ins have allowed us to practice accountability and open communication with each other, and to ensure that the team’s personal wellbeing and work deadlines are looked after. 

My WFH arrangement has allowed me to be more present for my daughter in her early formative years. For me, the disrupted sleep and extra effort to stay on task at work is worth it. 

It’s now 11pm.  

After putting baby down for her late afternoon nap, I started to prepare dinner. We enjoyed family dinner and time together with our daughter before her bedtime routine. I managed to squeeze in a quick workout as baby was nursing to sleep, before my wife and I tackled the laundry while chatting about our day. We are now both at our study desks ready to catch up on our work, with the baby monitor nestled in between our laptops.  

Has my workload decreased because of the change in life stage? Probably not, and it can certainly get tiring trying to keep up. But this arrangement has allowed me to be more present for my daughter in her early formative years. For me, the disrupted sleep and extra effort to stay on task at work is worth it.  

Beyond the additional paternity leave that I enjoy, having the privilege of a supportive workplace with flexible work policies, child-friendly environment, and understanding colleagues have been a great boost in supporting my growth in both my professional and family roles. While not all industries can afford to have such flexible work practices, just a small shift in our mindsets and culture can do wonders in supporting their employees’ wellbeing, family relationships and even family aspirations of their staff.  

Alright, time for me to catch up on work. I hope to be able to sleep as much as I can after, before baby initiates another staring contest.