Celebrating Global Day of Parents – 1 June 2021
May 2021
Emphasizing the critical role of parents in the rearing of children, the Global Day of Parents was designated by the United National General Assembly in 2012. As COVID-19 started spreading since end of 2019, many families bear the brunt of the pandemic. The long list of challenges and headaches faced during the outbreak was almost endless. Parents need to adapt to working from home, worrying about avoiding catching the COVID-19, while educating their children all at the same time. On this occasion, Moores Rowland Indonesia (MRI) interviewed two of our employees on how they have successfully went through the pandemic as a working parent.
First, we have Lulu Anandiasari, Outsourcing and Payroll Manager at MRI. She has joined our company since 2005. We asked her several questions about the problems of motherhood during the pandemic. As working mother, especially during the current situation, it can’t have been easy for her, and we could not be more proud to have a working mother who is very professional at her job in MRI.
Q: What does it mean to be a Mother for you?
Lulu: Being a mother is the greatest gift in my life, because I was given the trust by Allah SWT to raise and educate my three boys. Being a mother is also an opportunity for me to always improve myself and be responsible, because children will definitely see and imitate their mother. By becoming a mother, I can feel the beauty of loving and being loved by my children without limit.
Q: How do you cope on both the role of a mother and a career woman?
Lulu: When I am at work / office, I try to keep track of their daily activities by asking the children via telephone / video call about their activities, how they were at school, whether they had lunch, etc. Even after I have arrived at home, we always have time to chat and carry out activities together. I also made it a habit for my children to let me know their thoughts and opinion. My sons also enjoy being hugged by me, which I think showcases how comfortable and close they feel around me.
Q: How is it like to be a mother amidst the pandemic?
Lulu: My biggest challenge during the outbreak is how to be actively involved in my children's education. Usually, even in the normal situation, I always monitor their school affairs, but during the pandemic, I have to be extra involved, because online schools need special involvement from parents. In addition, whenever I work from home, the kids will automatically ask for my "attention" to do their daily activities. That is also the challenge, where I have to be able to pay attention to children, accommodate their requests, without putting work aside.
Q: Is working in MRI helping you in any way to provide a work-life balance as a mother?
Lulu: MRI really supports the work-life balance for both parents (mother and father). One such support is the convenience provided by the Department Head / Manager in giving permission related to family matters. The working situation at MRI is also very welcoming and friendly. Before the pandemic, my children used to pick me up at least once a month from the office, where they came, visited the office and interacted with my friends / superiors. In addition to that, personally as a mother, I believe that in order for you to work properly, you need good support from your husband and the company as well as help from a support system (for example, a household assistant). This will help you to focus on working while remaining close to your family, especially children.
We understand that being a parent can be challenging not only for mothers, but also as a father. That’s why we have interviewed Dendi Trisnadi, a Sustainability Manager at MRI. Dendi has been working with us since 2012. To understand how he acts as a Father, we have asked several questions as well;
Q : What does it mean to be a Father for you?
Dendi: Being a father for me means that I am taking a role as a figure who can lead and protect the family, provide exemplary behavior, provide for family needs and act as a place where my family can be open about their struggle, the hopes and desires of all family members.
Q: Is there any special activities that you usually do with your children?
Dendi: On weekdays, usually after coming home from work, I always take the time to chat with the children about the activities they’ve carried out that day, while on weekends we usually involve the whole family in our activities, for example by eating out together.
Q: What’s it like being a Father amidst the pandemic?
Dendi: Because the children are quite accustomed to being independent, there are no special things that are done. It's just that my wife and I are more active in interacting with the children, especially related to their education, as they have to learn from home, so that the children don't feel bored in carrying out school activities during the pandemic.
Q: Is working in MRI helping you in any way to provide a work-life balance as a father?
Dendi: It’s quite helpful, especially related to flexibility in working from home and office.
The pandemic made us contemplate on what it meant to be with the family-especially being a parent. It gave us a chance to have more time while creating complex challenges as a responsible adult.
For that, we would like to say to all the parents: “You’ve done a very good job!”