Jessica (not her real name) is facing up to the reality of juggling work and childcare for the first time. After having a baby during the pandemic, the data analyst from the north of England is now expected to spend 40% of her working week in the office, a rule enforced by her employer since January.
“I’m struggling with the requirements for office time and it’s meaning I have much less free time and am feeling constantly stressed,” she said. “The reality is that I’d need to leave my job if I had to be in the office full-time.”
