by Kerry Hannon

Tearing out of the office at 4:30 every day to pick up your three-year-old from child care before the doors shut isn't going to make anyone particularly happy. Your boss, your coworkers and you yourself are all going to be annoyed, and ultimately you'll be the victim. Where's your mom when you need her, right?

For employed moms and single parents, combining child rearing and work can be stunningly stressful. Working an eight-hour-plus shift, charging to the day-care center, figuring out what to buy for dinner, cooking, helping with homework, bathing the kids and doing a quick load of laundry somewhere in between can be more than anyone can handle in a day.

Flex time can help with all that. Not all companies are attuned to this notion, but increasingly the corporate world is becoming a bit more open to alternative work arrangements. Job sharing is becoming more prevalent, as are agreements to work from home a day or two a week, or part time. There is always a trade-off.

Work from Home

When I worked at U.S. News & World Report, the assistant managing editor, Anne McGrath, worked three days a week at the office and two days at home. U.S. News was indeed ahead of the curve allowing such flexibility. But Anne made it work. She was logged on most of the day, was always reachable for writers and never missed a deadline. She worked late into the night from her home PC if need be.

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