![]() ![]() ![]() The widespread closure of schools and childcare centres during the pandemic left many working parents like Szerbin in an impossible situation, trying to juggle remote jobs and a lack of childcare. It wasn’t easy on her or her daughter, and it only got harder as time went on. So, her only option was to do both jobs at once. The balancing act was, in part, a financial choice – compensated at about $17 (£13.70) per hour, the maths worked out that Szerbin would “basically be working just to pay for care”. Even if you're trying really hard to ignore her, in your heart, you can’t.” I'm talking and trying to concentrate and she's grabbing my headset or trying to grab my computer, or pulling at my shirt trying to get me to hold her. But soon she was walking, getting into stuff, needing attention. “It wasn’t as bad when she was an infant. It was something I just had to suffer through, and hope the people on the other line couldn’t hear her crying. “My calls were usually less than five minutes. If she didn’t, the customer on the other end of the phone line – and Szerbin’s supervisor, often listening in – might hear the baby in the background, and question her professionalism. Each time her child began to cry, the 33-year-old mother from New Jersey, US, had to leave the room. ![]() For most of the first year after her daughter was born in early 2022, Katie Szerbin worked from home, managing customer service calls all day, without any kind of childcare. ![]()
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