For FamiliesBalancing Work and Family

Balancing Work
and Family

Find your footing in the juggling act of a family’s daily logistics.

When Your Typical Is
Not Typical at All

The idea of a 9-to-5 job might be considered “typical” but, in truth, very few jobs truly are. Certainly not defence and public safety jobs, where families are constantly accommodating non-standard hours, including extended separations, on-call duties, and shift work. That has a huge impact on family life.

It is hard to plan anything when work schedules aren’t predictable. The partner with more career flexibility ends up handling most of the emotional and logistical tasks—household maintenance, driving, meals, chores, expenses, appointments, extracurriculars, childcare, dependent care, and pet care. This imbalance creates additional stress and requires frequent explanations about the serving partner’s absence. It’s a lot.

Sleep is precious and you have to stick to a sleep schedule, even if it interferes with other aspects of life.

As a single parent, you have to balance shift work with a world that runs on the assumption of a 9-to-5 job.

Extended family simply does not understand why you cannot “just move”.

“If my partner’s job stays the same, we would know his shift schedule forever. Which is helpful. But that also means we know all the things he’ll miss, too, because the shifts will never change.”

– Parent of young children, describing life with a firefighter spouse on shift work

A Different Kind of Rhythm

A defence or public safety role creates a different kind of rhythm for the whole family. It creates a schedule that differs from many of those around you and may load the emotional burden more heavily on one partner. Dual-serving families face additional challenges. However, these impacts can be lessened by first recognizing the challenges and then engaging with relevant resources that help families discuss their particular challenges openly and candidly.

Most people won’t fully understand what it’s like to have a defence or public safety partner, or to be a single parent who is serving, all while trying to be emotionally present and connected with the family. What matters most is that the family who is living it ‘gets’ it and feels equipped and empowered to shape their reality in a positive way.

Garnet Families’ evidence-based resources are built with these families in mind. We create conversations, develop systems, and address the root challenges to calm the inherently turbulent waters that public safety and defence families navigate.

“We prefer shift work. We’ve gotten used to things getting done during weekdays when the rest of us are out. 9-5 feels like we’d have less of their time and energy.”

– Canada Border Services Agency family

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GARNET FAMILIES RESOURCE

PSPNET Families

Check out PSPNET Families for their topics on navigating risk. PSPNET Families also offers a range of information and skill-building resources, along with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy, in their Spouse & Significant Other Wellbeing course for public safety families.

Visit PSPNET Families

Information

To help address family issues related to the occupational risks and requirements of public safety work.

Strategies & Skill-Building Exercises

Tips and exercises are designed to address issues described in the information pages.

Spouse or Significant Other Wellbeing Course

A self-guided, cognitive behavioural therapy program for PSP spouses or significant others.

Resources: Balancing Work and Family

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Our latest research and evidence-based resources for public safety and defence families who are looking to balance the demands of both work and family life.