JULY 2019
MUTUALLY
INCLUSIVE
THE SUMMER JUGGLE! Tips for working parents STRONG INTEGRATED FINANCIAL GROUP • MODERN MUTUAL • EMPLOYER OF CHOICE • MODEL CORPORATE CITIZEN
Editors’ Message It’s the summer time and if you’re a working parent you know that it can be a stressful time. Fret not! We share some tips on how you can help your children enjoy the break from school, spend some quality time with them making memories, stay on top of things at work, and stay sane all at the same time. Also, we share some scenes from the recent Happiness Is campaign that was the talk of the town as VM took over the streets of the corporate area on July 5. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts with us at vmcorporateaffairs@myvmgroup.com
Clover & Dayton
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CONTENTS
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The Summer Juggle: Tips for Working Parents 3
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In case you missed it!
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VM brings the happiness!
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Take Action! Support the VM Foundation today!
THE SUMMER JUGGLE TIPS FOR WORKING PARENTS Ahh, the summer time. Lazy mornings, late nights, beach trips. Not a care in the world, right? Wrong! Summer fun is something most of us only get to enjoy as children. As adults, the summer break doesn’t bring much of a break at all. And for parents, the summer actually brings complications. What to do with the little ones? How do we ensure they enjoy the break, stay safe, eat well, learn something and relax? How do we do this while we are at work? We’ve got some tips to help you figure it out. One of the most neglected parts of parenting is the need to show your children how rewarding parenthood can be – not how annoying. Children tend to take our negative messages personally. Few parents want their children to remember summer as that time of year that drove their parents crazy. It’s at times tricky, but worthwhile, to be realistic with children about the challenges of parenthood, without communicating “you guys are such a burden,” especially in summer.
So here are some tips from other parents who’ve survived – and thrived amid the summer chaos: • Break your parenting rules. Summer is an ideal time to ease up on strict parental restrictions, because everything you do is temporary. Let the kids go to bed late. Let them sleep in, if you can. Have them eat cereal or pizza for breakfast. • Hire a temporary babysitter, if possible. A fun, energetic, responsible and trustworthy university or high school student is perfect for simple tasks like taking the children to the park or spraying them with the hose in the yard. • Negotiate with your employer. Summer is the ideal time to try out your employer’s flexi-work options. Given that the arrangement would be temporary it perhaps wouldn’t cause much disruption. If you make up the time with a shortened lunch hour, cover during a colleague’s vacation, or work from home at night, can you arrive a half hour late for the 4
Explain that if they use their free time to lighten your load, you’ll have more time and energy for the fun stuff.
Mow the lawn? Create a summer chart together. Explain that if they use their free time to lighten your load, you’ll have more time and energy for the fun stuff. • Network with neighbours, your children’s friends’ parents, and your own extended families to share childcare. One of the best lessons of parenthood is that we’re all in this together, often facing similar juggling challenges. Sending your children to Grandma’s for two weeks, or to a neighbour’s house after school, might not work for nine months during the school year, but it could work wonderfully for the summer.
summer? Take off an hour early? Work half day Fridays? Take a few random vacation days? It puts more summer fun in your life and your kids will love the extra time with you. Plus, your leader gets a happier, more loyal team member. Talk with your leader and see what’s possible.
You and your children deserve to enjoy summer. Every summer seems endless in early June, but the weeks (and years) fly by faster than we all think. We owe it to ourselves, and our children to enjoy summer while it lasts.
• Negotiate with your children. Get your children to brainstorm about what they most want summer to feel like. Find out what they’re willing to do to get it. Wash the dishes? Watch their little brother?
*Adapted from an article originally published by modernmom.com
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Happiness Is... VM launched its exciting ‘Happiness Is’ mortgage campaign with lots of excitement in New Kingston, Half-Way Tree and Liguanea on July 5. Here are some highlights.
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THE RACE IS ON!
Who will be declared SBU of the Year? place? Will VM Finance take flight and pull off an upset? Watch this space for monthly updates. We've also attached the scoring methodology for easy reference. Please note also that the Audit results are not included for May but we can expect to have them included in the coming months. Get your vuvuzelas and pot covers ready. It's going to be an exciting race to the finish!
On June 11, 2019 our President shared that there have been some updates to the Rewards and Recognition programme, including a change in the way that the SBU of the Year is determined. He also stated that we would be sharing monthly updates on the SBUs' point-standings. Below are the point-standings as of May. As you can see, the VMTS team has powered out of the blocks. Can they maintain the momentum? Will the Treasury and Investments Team acquire first
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VM FOUNDATION
Make a difference today! If you had a choice, would you want to create the type of community you live in?
we are poised to continue to do so in our communities. Established in 2018, the Foundation is the vehicle through which Victoria Mutual will positively transform the lives of Jamaicans globally through its pillars – leadership and nation building, youth empowerment and improving health and family life.
Volunteering does that for me, it is choosing every day to create the kind of community I want to live in. It is in our interest to make a difference. Maya Angelou once said, “when you learn…teach and when you get…give.”
Though in our embryotic stages, this year we hope to create more value as we deepen our community involvement through our Team Members volunteering. So, no matter how short the time or small the pocket there is much we can do when we pool our resources together as a team and direct them intentionally to worthwhile projects.
If we operate from this principle, many more persons would be better off. Rallying people around charitable efforts creates an environment of empowerment and collaboration. Research has shown that philantrophic efforts can drive change in our communities. On Saturday July 27, 2019, just before our joint project with the Kiwanis Club of North St. Andrew at the Marie Atkins Shelter, I sat with Team Member Toni, from VMTS Linstead who indicated that she works six days per week but felt "it was important to make that sacrifice to contribute because others could benefit from my service."
So as you contemplate the closing of this half year, your personal and professional goals and your life at VM, consider what you have learnt and what you have been given and let the VM Foundation help you be a part of improving the quality of life for our people. Give back today and let’s amplify our impact!
Victoria Mutual was set up from a giving and serving heart and through the Foundation
Naketa West
Take Action!
The VM Foundation has been hard at work improving lives. You can help make a difference by becoming a volunteer or by making a monetary contribution. To donate or become a VM Foundation volunteer, please email: Naketa West at naketa.west@myvmgroup.com
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