Could HR solve Peppa Pig?

The problem

Mummy Pig regularly works from home and, although Daddy Pig is there to look after the children, Peppa Pig and her little brother George Pig want to spend time with their mum. Not only do they disturb her work, Peppa and George even broke Mummy Pig’s computer and, after Daddy Pig fixed it, spent the rest of the morning playing games. How can she integrate her work and home life properly, before her performance in either area starts to drop?

The solution

Blurred lines between the responsibilities of work and family life is a common symptom of working from home, says Dr Jonathan Lord, an HR consultant and lecturer in HR management and employment law. “Research actually suggests that men are a bit more ruthless when it comes to separating work and personal tasks when working at home, whereas women feel more responsibility to take care of other chores when they work at home,” he says.

With an increasing number of organisations encouraging home working – especially those in the public sector – more employees are being confronted with the decision of whether or not they can be productive at home. “If, like Mummy Pig, you have two children under school age, it can be very difficult,” says Lord.

HR can help not only by drawing up a flexible working policy, but also by offering support and advice on how to make working at home a success. “The history of HR is in employee welfare, so it should be providing Mummy Pig with practical guidance on keeping your children busy, and not allowing them to use company computers or tablets,” says Lord. “Work should be confidential, and you don’t want your children to damage the equipment.”

Mummy Pig’s company could really help her by taking a more flexible attitude towards leave, suggests Lord: “I’m hearing about more and more organisations that offer staff a limited number of ‘duvet days’ each year. This means the employee can request a day off – in advance, or on the day itself – no questions asked. It means they can take a day off without the psychological impact of feeling guilty about calling in sick.”