The Benefits Of Working From Home: Parent Edition

With TELUS flexible workstyle programs, team members have the option to work from home or come into the office as they choose.  By promoting flexible remote hours, our team members are able to create a balance between home life and being a TELUS employee. 

Parents specifically have been vocal about the positive changes in their home life since changing to a remote first workstyle. They are able to be a better partner, be a part of everyday routines and not miss out on important life milestones.

Kaitlin Wright, a Senior Product Manager for TELUS Digital, first became pregnant in 2020. As the world shut down, she was preparing to grow her family. Eliminating the commute as a pregnant person was the first positive change she saw when things shifted to remote work. She no longer had to push her body when she needed to relax or worry about whether she would be offered a seat on the bus commute to the office. 

Now a mom of two, working from home has allowed for her to be present for the “best moments of parenting; first steps, first words, siblings holding hands and dancing while they eat lunch”. Being at home allows Kaitlin to be a part of all the special moments.

In addition to being a present working mom, the flexibility helps Kaitlin be a better partner to her husband, by sharing household tasks, and lending a hand when he is overwhelmed with the workload of being a stay-at-home parent. 

" I am fortunate to have a partner who chose to stay home with our children. But what no one talks about is that he is fortunate to have a partner who works from home and can help in a pinch, provide respite on difficult days, prepare lunch, etc. Being a stay-at-home parent is the hardest work on the planet, and by working from home, I can lighten that load. Fairness in the distribution of household responsibilities is important in any household and partnership. Working from home and accomplishing some of these things during the day instead of in the evening, means my husband and I can spend more time together, or decompress alone during this demanding season of life. This balance makes me a better partner, a better mother, and is better for my mental well-being".

Our team members come from diverse backgrounds and different family dynamics. Flexible workstyle programs have helped support the different needs of new parents who don’t have the support of daycare or family members. 

TELUS Digital Change Coach, Martin Fabro, and his wife are an immigrant couple that have a two-year-old son. When relocating to Canada, they lost their support team and don’t have help outside of the two of them to raise their son. 

“We don’t have any relatives in Canada that can jump and lend a hand whenever we need to, so we rely entirely on the flexibility of our jobs to take care of our child when needed, such as when he’s sick”. 

The flexibility and understanding from TELUS as a company has supported Martin and his wife through the transition of parenthood by creating a flexible, asynchronous schedule. 

“When you don’t have relatives to count on, having a job that allows you to accommodate your family’s needs, makes all the difference. I will be forever grateful for the empathy, compassion and flexibility shown by the organization I work for, and especially my team. During these last 2 years, they have seen my son grow, they have welcomed him in meetings and made us feel as part of a big family”.

It’s common for children to make appearances on video meetings within TELUS.  As a company, TELUS has embraced that team members have identities outside of being an employee.

Jill Mader, a Senior Content Writer for TELUS Digital has “always felt completely supported as a working parent by [her] manager and [her] team. Both [her] kids have made appearances at team stand-ups and 1:1 meetings and they’re met with such enthusiasm and joy from [her] coworkers. It’s every parent’s dream”.  It’s the first time in her 15-year career, Jill has felt like she is a person first and an employee second. 

Being a new parent often brings unexpected challenges that can be stressful to navigate when you are working full-time. 

Karabi Mitra, a Senior Strategy Manager who has been a TELUS employee for close to 4 years, recently came back from maternity leave. Being a new mother and not wanting to sacrifice the important time she would spend with her young daughter made her feel apprehensive to make the transition back into a full-time employee. But the flexibility of TELUS’ workstyle programs gave her peace of mind that she could still be an involved mother and a dedicated TELUS team member. 

“Overall, TELUS’ flexible work policy has been integral in helping me find more time with [my daughter], Emma. When I’m working from home and don’t need to commute, I am able to spend more time with her before I drop her off at daycare in the morning and I can pick her up right after work as the daycare is closer to my home then it is to the office. Ultimately, the time that we can spend with our family is so precious and I am grateful that my workplace values that and allows me to do so. This helps me bring my best self to work and drive key outcomes and strategies for TELUS”. 

Being present for key moments in children’s lives is something that new parents are looking forward to.

Tommy Carlberg a Data Engineer at TELUS Digital became a first-time parent in June of 2022. He didn’t want to compromise his working productively or his parenting time. Working at TELUS with flexible hours and remote work has allowed him to not compromise on either, and be present for his partner and for the key events in his child’s life. 

"If I was required to go into the office frequently [...] I would feel terrible for missing some key moments in the growth of my baby boy. Working at TELUS Digital has meant that I can have the best of both worlds. [So much] so that recently I was able to put down my laptop to enjoy my son's first steps”. 

As TELUS continues to grow as a company and hire across Canada, the workstyle program continues to evolve. With team members in multiple time zones and diverse backgrounds, TELUS is open to navigating different ways of working. The idea is, if team members are happy and healthy, they will be more dedicated and passionate about their work within TELUS.