It is not always easy for a working woman to choose between work and career. There are many times when she is stuck between work and a family crisis. Imagine you are preparing the report for your company on which your promotion is based and suddenly you get a call from home and your maid tells you that your son is not well and he needs you. Every working woman faces a family emergency every now and then. Instead of stressing out about how you will juggle at the office and a domestic disaster, try to stay calm and lay out an action plan with workable stages.
Inform Your Boss
Before you are off to attend to the domestic emergency, it is important that you inform your boss about the exact nature of the problem. There's no point in overloading the boss with too many details too soon, especially if you don't have all the facts handy. Share the facts only; this will help the boss stay open to offering you flexible time or resources if things go from bad to worse. Make sure you let him/her know where you are likely to be and give her contact number on which you will be reachable in case she needs some work-related details.
Co-workers & Clients
Apart from the boss, it is important to call or e-mail at least one team member about your crisis. This will also give you the opportunity to delegate any urgent work. In case you have urgent deadlines to meet and can't do so in the circumstances, send an e-mail to the concerned person along with a copy to your boss explaining the situation. If it is an important customer or client, make sure you call.
Stay Connected
It is always a good idea to request a colleague to send you regular work updates. With your co-worker serving as your communication in the office, you're less likely to miss out on work problems that need special attention. Once you return to work, get people close to your family crisis.
Assist Help
If you're overstrained and need assistance, ask for it. Call in lots of friends, relatives and even co-workers for a little help. Remember, if your crisis is really stressful, it's better to risk straining a few people than overloading yourself to the max. Get someone else to organize your regular household chores till the crisis passes. In case you need to work from home, ask someone to deliver the paperwork needed to your home or e-mail the relevant information.
Don’t Ignore Work
Having focused time slots will help you do justice to both, the crisis and your work. Choose a time during which you can have someone else take over your duties on the domestic front and use that period to deal with the work backlog. If you need to be present at the office, then request for a time that suits you from your boss.