Juggling work and the rest of your life has never been easy, but the University鈥檚 Work/Life office, a division of Human Resources, has been trying to help ever since its creation in 1988. Now Work/Life is making its services more accessible by adding some Web-based resources.
Take the Nanny Share Network, for example. Now with a 91探花NetID, you can go to and register in the nanny share database, a listing of parents at the University who would like to share a nanny.
鈥淭he number of people in that database has doubled, to about 60, since it鈥檚 been online,鈥� said Randi Shapiro, Work/Life manager. 鈥淔rom the client feedback, it seems to be quite successful.
Michelle Agnew, a project manager at the 91探花Medical Center, has had not one, but two successes with the Nanny Share Network. 鈥淚n 2001, I decided to go back to work when my daughter was 6 months old,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hrough the network, I found a family who had a nanny to share, and because my search was by zip code, they lived very close by.鈥�
That situation lasted a year, after which the other family decided to move their children elsewhere. Agnew then stuck with the nanny and found another 91探花family to share with through the network.
鈥淚 think that finding the right childcare is incredibly stressful, and resources like the 91探花Nanny Share Network make it much easier,鈥� Agnew said. 鈥淚t was also nice to make a connection with another 91探花family 鈥� or two, in my case.鈥�
Work/Life has another resource for childcare online too. Called the Caregiver Directory, it lists people who will provide part-time care 鈥� not only for children, but for elders or adults with special needs. Those willing to help with chores and errands are listed as well. People with a 91探花NetID who are looking for a caregiver can register at , after which they can search the directory for a suitable caregiver. University-affiliated people offering care can likewise register online.
鈥淲e have about 50 caregivers registered, almost all of them students,鈥� Shapiro said. 鈥淪ince we went online, the number of caregivers registered has increased dramatically.鈥�
Other new online resources that Work/Life offers include a Web site that lists child-friendly locations and programs on campus, , and an online catalog, , for their resource center materials. Materials include books, pamphlets and videos that can be checked out. People can request them by e-mail and have them sent to their office or pick them up in person at the resource center.
鈥淚鈥檇 also like to remind people about our wellness Web site, , where we鈥檝e tried to gather a number of resources having to do with wellness,鈥� Shapiro said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 everything from finding a weight loss group on campus to getting fitted for a bicycle helmet.鈥�
Other services sponsored by Work/Life include the TLC sick childcare service and monthly presentations on some aspect of work-life balance. TLC is a service operated at Virginia Mason Medical Center where parents can take mildly ill children to be cared for when they are too ill to go to school or daycare. The cost is underwritten by the University; parents pay only a $5 registration fee. For more information, go to .
New this year on the presentation front are facilitated conversations. Shapiro said these are intended to be smaller, more informal discussions on a topic, and are held in the Work/Life resource center in the Brooklyn Building. For a complete schedule of presentations and conversations, go to . Those interested can subscribe to an e-mail list and receive a monthly notification of the programs.
All of the resources above can also be accessed from Work/Life鈥檚 homepage, .