Last Updated: May 25, 2020
In March 2020, our “normal” lives disappeared. To do our part to reduce the spread of disease during the global pandemic, companies transitioned away from working in the office, to working in our homes. And millions of those who were fortunate enough to keep our jobs also became full-time caregivers and educators overnight.
We created this guide to help companies support these employees who are now balancing work and caregiving, childcare, and homeschooling. This guide was created by Washington State corporations. While some of the facts and resources (specifically around childcare) pertain to WA State, the rest of this guide applies to companies across the U.S.
As COVID-19 spreads, our new normal will look much different for our employees through the rest of this year, and potentially longer. We’re already seeing major transitions happen for corporations:
This isn't just a business crisis; it's a global health crisis that's affecting families and our loved ones. While organizations find some consistency in this new normal, many of our employees are struggling to find consistency in their lives. Our homes haven't become just our office — they're our childcare centers, our school classrooms, and, for some, our only source of safety.
COVID-19 won't turn off like a light switch. As it ebbs and flows through the world for potentially years, our lives will be in constant transition. So, how do we operate companies like this? How do we find productivity in these moments? How do we accomplish our goals, and bring our employees along on this journey?
We created this guide to help answer some of these questions.
This guide was built by small- and medium-sized businesses, for any business that is looking to support their working parent and caregivers during and post-COVID.