Can you really balance parenting and work?
“Can you really balance parenting and work?”—This is one of the biggest concerns for parents considering a career change.
At ZenGroup, a cross-border e-commerce service provider, many parents maximize diverse working styles and systems to lead fulfilling lives both professionally and at home.
We spoke with three current employees—two moms and one dad—about their real-life working styles and the support system at ZenGroup.
1. Flexible Working Made Possible at ZenGroup
The biggest attraction of working at ZenGroup for parents is the “Flextime System” and “Child Nursing Leave (available by the hour)”. They maximize these systems to achieve a work-life balance that suits their individual needs.
Let’s look at how three members manage their working hours:
| Member | Child’s Age | Working Hour Adjustments |
| Mom A | 1 year old | Works 7:30 AM – 4:30 PMto ensure she is home in time for daycare pickup. |
| Mom B | 6 years old | Works 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM to align with her child’s return time from school. |
| Dad | 4 & 1 years old | Works 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM or 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, adjusting flexibly based on his and his wife’s roles. |
Dad shared that he makes flexible schedule adjustments to cooperate with his wife, stating, “On days when my wife picks up the kids, I start dinner prep earlier; on days when I pick them up, I leave earlier.”
Mom B commented that the fixed departure time due to her child’s pickup is turned into motivation to “focus on completing tasks efficiently.” This structured approach to working hours ultimately leads to improved productivity.
2. No Fear of Emergencies: Supported by System and Culture
A child’s illness or your own physical condition is unpredictable. ZenGroup alleviates this anxiety through both comprehensive systems and a supportive culture.
How Working Parents Manage Day-to-Day Tasks
A common concern among parents is, “How do we maintain the quality and quantity of our work given our time constraints?” At ZenGroup, employees achieve results through team cooperation and individual effort, often without special adjustments to their workload.
Here is a look at the specific measures our current parents take to keep their work running and prepare for sudden emergencies:
- Mom A’s Proactive Approach (Prevention): “I handle routine tasks and try to finish them ahead of the deadline. By sharing progress frequently on Asana, the team can easily cover my tasks if I have to take an unexpected day off.
- Mom B’s Emergency Response: “For sudden leave, I contact the team on Slack for coverage of essential tasks, or I work just the morning or afternoon, depending on the situation. I feel secure knowing that routines can be handled by others on the team.
Mom A confirms that since her team essentially covers for each other, utilizing tools like Asana allows the team to track progress and follow up, meaning “work is not significantly impacted even when I take time off.”
Utilization of Child Nursing Leave by the Hour
ZenGroup offers Child Nursing Leave that can be taken in 1-hour increments. This allows employees to use it for sudden fevers or vaccinations—situations that don’t require an entire day off. Mom A mentions that she has used this system multiple times to navigate minor emergencies without having to use her paid annual leave.
Warm Understanding and Team Support
The concern about being judged for taking time off, even with systems in place, is unfounded at ZenGroup. Regarding sudden absences, Mom B states, “My team members are very understanding and often say warm words like, Please go be with your child right away.“
Mom A reinforces this, saying, “The support system and the kind understanding of the team have made balancing parenting and work much easier”—highlighting that the culture is the key factor in making the system effective.
3. 26 Days of Annual Leave from Day One: Prioritizing Family Time
ZenGroup provides ample paid leave to strongly back up employees’ private lives
26 Days of Annual Leave from Your First Year
Employees receive a high number of paid leave days from the start of employment, and the company is generally supportive of its use. Dad says that taking long family trips or time off to align with children’s school breaks is very easy. Mom B adds that “the ability to take extended paid leave during the weekday is a huge benefit” for dedicating time to family.
Messages from Our Working Moms
The parents we spoke with shared that “ZenGroup’s solid support system and company policies allow me to approach both roles with a positive mindset.
Finally, here are messages from the working mothers navigating this balance:
From Mom A:
Balancing work and parenting is certainly not easy, but I find ZenGroup to be a workplace that respects employee opinions and is easy to consult with. Despite my initial worries about being a first-time mom returning to work, the support systems in place help me to be proactive. I cherish the time I have alone during my commute and look forward to picking up my son every day!
From Mom B:
ZenGroup is an extremely supportive environment for working parents. Beyond the flexible work system like flextime, there is a deep-rooted culture of understanding and support from the entire team for handling a child’s sudden illness. For anyone who wants to value both their career and their family, I strongly encourage you to experience the ease of working at ZenGroup!
ZenGroup is committed to supporting your choice to prioritize both your career and your family.
