Keeping a balance between around-the-clock duties at work and family life can be challenging. Jackie Zhang says little details make big things happen.
I know I am not alone when I say that balancing a demanding full-time job with family responsibilities has been a challenge during the covid period. My husband has been working on the frontline against covid at the CDC (Centres for Disease Control) conducting nucleic acid detection and epidemiological investigations every day.
He has been busy throughout the whole covid period and I am really proud of what he is doing. I am also proud of playing my small part in keeping our aviation business activities operating throughout the crisis.
It has been hard work and we have been dealing with a big increase in work; not just in the office but at home too. It’s important to remember the working mums whose husbands are also working on the frontline. We all do whatever we can to be supportive and keep everything going and I know there are a lot of ‘supermums’ around during these months.
One of the biggest challenges we have is dealing with multiple time zones. I remember one case where the client was based in South America, the operator was in Europe and the destinations were in China, so I had to cover all time zones in order to coordinate the flights. It’s exciting work, but it can become tiring when you are operating around the clock like this. However, it is the job we are here to do and it is more important than ever that we deliver the cargo promptly and with a smile!
I’ve seen my five-year-old son grow up a lot during these times. He has learned how to prepare his own breakfast and I am proud of the little boy he is becoming, always there with a smile when mum gets home. I have felt sorry for him that both of his parents are so busy, but I know that he will understand and it makes all the time we spend with him even more special.
I will carry on both at home and at work because I love what I do and because it really matters now. And I hope that my covid story will end soon when we defeat the disease and I can tell my son that the crazy times are over.