Taking Steps to Thrive Again by using The Family First Coronavirus Response Act
DISCLAIMER - This is not legal advice but provided as educational information only. Some of the rules may not apply to your place of employment due to location or employer size. If you have specific questions about your employment situation, you should consult with a local attorney.
It has been almost 9 weeks since the country came to a complete halt. We have gone from hording toilette paper to doing all we can to hold onto our jobs, businesses, and family. We went from support networks of schools and childcare to none. Within a weekend working families took on more than we ever thought was physically possible. Families have done their best to navigate two roles of parenting and working to continue to contribute to organizations under extremely difficult circumstances.
We have experienced highs and lows of emotions for ourselves but also absorbing the emotions of our entire family. We are tired, we are looking for light at the end of the tunnel, and while we cannot control the Corona Virus, we can find ways to support one another. We need a break simply said we have to find a break and get off the hamster wheel. Boundaries take on a whole new level of meaning at this time and our mental health is definitely being affected physically. So, let no be a word that gives you freedom and let yes be a part of what is going to benefit you. Let’s evaluate ways to support what you need even though it may not look perfectly aligned with what it used to be. We can begin the process of moving forward.
To start I would highly suggest re-negotiating your day and what it looks like. I would encourage you to have these conversations with your spouse and re-evaluate what works and what doesn’t. This is a topic that in our household is being tweaked each week because ultimately each week we learn something that did or did not work for us.
After re-valuating your days, I would recommend taking a look at the The Family First Coronavirus Response Act and truly think through how you could use this to your benefit. It was meant for working parents during this time and while it doesn’t cover everyone those that work for private employers under 500 employees and all public employers, regardless of employee count are eligible. Private employers include non-profit organizations as well. Health care providers or emergency responders may exclude their workers unfortunately. To review in more detail the law and eligibility please check our resident employment rights attorney Daphne Delvaux resources by clicking here.
The great thing about the Family First Coronavirus Response Act is that you can negotiate a schedule that works for you with your employer. Which can be even done by the hour. So, if you can only work 4 hours a day you can take the remainder of the work hours as part of the Family First Act. If you want to take one day a week off, you can do that under the Family First Act. These are ways to support the realities of how much you can actually take on all while negotiating a work schedule that can support your employer as well. Not to mention by using the Family First Act you are added into a protected class. I want to also note that this is for both spouses not just the mom and is only valid while childcare facilities and schools are closed.
Lastly, know your best is probably above expectations already. We are all having to let go of so much right now which is hard to do for many but that doesn’t me we can’t take back some of what we can control. Surviving has been a place we have lived for 8 ½ weeks; we all want to stop surviving and begin taken steps to thrive again.