The Edge for June 2020
Working from home every day while your spouse and children are also at home can be a serious test. We asked New Jersey Chamber members how they are holding up while they are holed up in their homes during the pandemic. It seems the secret sauce is the ability to make the best of the situation, respect your partner’s personal space and take the occasional video conference call from your daughter who is down the hall in the playroom.
We Cook and Eat Together, But We Also Give Each Other Space
Being a transactional lawyer is suited to working from a home office. Prior to the pandemic, most deals were done through conference calls and emails. I don’t think my productivity has changed as a result of working from home. My husband is also an attorney. During the week we rarely ate meals together. Since we are both working from home, we take the opportunity to cook and eat together as a family but we give each other the space we need during the day. Our college-age daughter is home with us. She has shown an interest in a career in law. This has been a great opportunity to explain our respective roles, and it has allowed her to observe what we do for a living.
– Lucille J. Karp, Partner and General Counsel, McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP
Being Empathetic to Each Other Has Helped Us Grow as a Family
There’s no doubt that working at home has been complex these past couple of months. With my husband, son and daughters at home, it has been difficult finding workspaces for all. But we have adjusted nicely by being flexible and understanding of work calls, teacher meetings and private time with friends. Being empathetic to each other has enabled us to grow as a family. The same can be said for my work environment. Every staff member has been dealt a different hand of cards to deal with at home, which we understand very well at the NJCPA. To connect in a fun way, we have regular Zoom meetings and conduct trivia and other games that engage the whole staff. We also participate in a humorous daily survey.
– Theresa Hinton, Chief Operating Officer, New Jersey Society of CPAs
When My Young Daughter Calls Me from Down the Hall, I take the Call
My wife and I are both CPAs/audit partners, so working remotely is not new – we even had a home office built that supports both of us working from home at the same time. The current situation, however, was not what we had planned for. We have two young girls so we’ve set up a schedule that allows us to get our work done while still ensuring the girls have a healthy balance of schoolwork and playtime. So far, it has been pretty successful. Occasionally, I will take a video conference call from them in their playroom – just me and the Disney princesses ‘talking strategy.’ The girls have ended up on the occasional business call, but that is the “new normal” in this crazy situation.
– Richard M. Fuchs, Managing Partner – Basking Ridge Office, Prager Metis CPAs
