Snowbound: A Working Mom's Musings on Snow, Sanity, and Work-Life Conflicts

Work Weather Wednesday

By now, even if you don't live in the Washington, D.C. metro area, you've probably heard all about it:

Snowpocalypse. Snowmaggedon. SnOMG. And my favorite of the moment, Snoverkill.

The Blizzard of 2010. The more than two feet of snow that fell last weekend. Plus, the other foot (give or take a few inches) that's falling right now.

Beautiful, intense snow that's completely overwhelming the city and its suburbs. The roads are a mess, the metro system's barely operating, the federal government and many private workplaces are closed, and my daughter's school system has shut down through the end of this week. (At least! There's more snow in the forecast for Monday.) Our family's been home together for nearly five days.

So this Work Wednesday, it's the weather more than work that's on my mind.

In fact, right now, I'm more than a little anxious about our prospects for power given the gale force winds and toppling trees outside. And only slightly less tense about the possibility of losing my sanity if we're stuck inside for another five days.

Actually, I'm exaggerating about my state of mind. The snow-created cancellations of work, school, and the rest of our activities and commitments has provided a pause - a respite, a lull - in the usual hectic pace of our two-working parents, two-small-children lives. We've had a wonderful time, at least so far. (Snapping powerlines may shatter our snowonderland at any moment.)

We've been hanging out by the fireplace, playing in the snow, baking banana chocolate chip bread, reading books, painting Valentines, and building a (Costco impulse purchase) model of the human body. (Of course, we've resorted to a few videos, too.) My kids (when they're not wrestling) have been playing together for hours making up all sorts of silly games. And in between loads of dishes and laundry (see my Blizzard of 2009 storm-inspired housework blog), I've had time to read a novel, make three kinds of soup, and take a few long naps. My husband - well, he's been shoveling. And shoveling. (I've helped, too!) And we have managed to get out a bit and socialize with friends and neighbors.

I've been fortunate, too, that work has been relatively quiet this week and that I have no pressing deadlines. (Of course, I've been checking in via Blackberry, phone, and computer, but I haven't had to telecommute full time. My husband's been busier. He's hunkering down at the moment with some documents he can't ignore.)  I can't help thinking, though, about all the people who have had to brave unplowed or simply bad roads and struggle to find childcare because they have to get to work. And I'm not talking about police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, and snowplow operators, who presumably prepare for these kinds of situations. Although I am incredibly grateful to them.

I'm thinking more about people like grocery checkers, hotel clerks, and janitors. People who won't get paid- and may lose their jobs - if they don't work.  The Washington Post reported yesterday on this "army of service workers" - cashiers, security guards, home health aides - who have done everything from sleep in the store to drive "backwards" on icy roads to make it to their jobs.

In many ways, the divergent blizzard experiences of white collar workers, like me, who can work remotely, and pink and blue collar workers, who have to be physically present, mirror other disparities in the workplace.  A few weeks ago, the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California and the Center for American Progress put out a groundbreaking report about "The Three Faces of Work-Family Conflict: The Poor, the Professionals, and the Missing Middle." In it, the authors paint vivid and sometimes devastating pictures of work-life conflict for three groups of women -  the poor, the professionals, and the missing middle (the 53% of American families who are neither rich nor poor).  Each group faces its own challenges.  For example, professional women have to cope with the "politics of time," "flexibility stigma" and "sped-up" work and home lives. Although these issues resonate with me personally, they are less compelling than the problems faced by middle and low-income working women: rigid, highly supervised schedules under which workers can be fired for being a few minutes late or leaving a few minutes early, “no fault” discipline systems, unscheduled mandatory overtime, and miserable childcare options.

There are, however, policy options that would make life better for all families.  As the authors explain:

    Our analysis shows that while families across the spectrum face work-family conflict, they
    experience it differently, and the politics of resolving these work-life conflicts are defined
    by these differences. While these differences are very real, they mask the fact that no matter
    where Americans stand on the income spectrum, they need short-term and extended
    paid leave and new workplace flexibility rules, as well as high-quality, affordable childcare
    and freedom from discrimination based on family responsibilities.

It's hard not to agree with their sound prescriptions and their call for policies to help American families at all income levels—even if their needs differ. But it does make me wonder what role policies like emergency leave, workplace flexibility, and freedom from caregiver discrimination could play in a blizzard. Especially for the low and middle income workers profiled in the Post article. It will take a lot of work, advocacy, and leadership to create real change. So, for now, I'm hoping for an end to the Blizzard of 2010 and the start of some new conversations about work-life conflicts and challenges across class lines.

Comments

[Katherine]

I agree with you about how this blizzard has provided a wonderful forced family time - it's like a Buddhist strongman saying: "Live in the now. I mean it!!" And if you guys lose power feel free to drive over to our place (if you dare) since we have extra bedrooms, showers and enough mac n cheese to last to April.

Also, interesting insight about the people who brave the weather to be at Giant when our SUVs and minivans can finally break through the snow to make the trip. As I was driving in the 24-hour window of no snow and cleared roads, I passed three snowplows headed in the opposite direction. The drivers were these grizzled old men who clearly had been hard at work while I was snowball fighting and hot chocolating with my kids.

To me, those are the real heroes of the blizzard: the snow plow drivers, ER workers, Giant stockroom and checkout clerks, who make it safe for the rest of us.

[Karen Paul-Stern]

Terri Lee Freeman of the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region had a great piece on NPR this morning about how for those living on the edge, a weather incident like this can be catastrophic. There definitely needs to be a community conversation about how to reinforce our social safety net to meet the needs of a region hit hard by weather, among other economic storms.

[Susan at Working Moms Against Guilt]

Very insightful. If you have that "workshifting" capability in your job, it's easy to forget how many people don't have it -- and don't have the flexibility to stay home when it's unsafe to leave home for work. Thanks for shedding light on this issue!

[Jamie]

Read your blog yesterday – excellent as always. Thought about it overnight and remembered all the times when I was a kid that my mom had to go to work (grocery store checker) even though the town was shut down for snow. The real pressure was for people who don’t get paid when they don’t work. Several days off can just be devastating. I am tremendously worried about the haves and haves nots in this society and how close to the edge the have nots live. Some of us have flexibility with our work and financial flexibility that missing a day or two's pay doesn't have a big impact (especially the professionals among us). Unfortunately, many working moms are not in the same boat.