Coronavirus

Pandemic Parenting: How Do I Ask My Boss For Flexibility?

Options may be scarce, but experts say being clear about your needs is crucial.

Pandemic Parenting: How Do I Ask My Boss For Flexibility?
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As if parenting weren't challenging enough, the coronavirus pandemic has raised a thousand new, unprecedented questions about work, school, finances and health. 

We asked the experts: How do I discuss flexible work-from-home options with my boss? 

“As a parent, it's really important to have frank conversations with your bosses about the challenges that you're facing and how you can best continue your work while adjusting to this pandemic," suggested Vasu Reddy, senior policy counsel with the National Partnership for Women and Families. 

“With regard to working at home, unfortunately, you don't have any legal rights. If the employer says you must come to the office or you can't work here, they have every right to do that. That being said, we are now living in a world, a brand new world, where people have come to the realization that you can actually work from home and be almost as productive. But most companies are bending over backwards to help people do that because that is the new normal,” said Richard Roth, founder and partner with The Roth Law Firm.