To think you can’t work from home with a 1 year old baby

[HipHopTheHippieToTheHipHipHop]

My company is recruiting for a sales exec and I overheard a call from a recruitment agent pushing a candidate currently on maternity leave somewhere else and about to go back to work but wants a new job.

She wants to work 3 days in the office and 2 days at home. For those 2 days she’d be looking after her 1 year old while she’s “working”.

AIBU to think this is taking the piss? There might be some jobs where you can juggle work and looking after a baby, but not while you’re dealing with clients (who work office hours). Hardly fair on the baby either.

[JohnLapsleyParlabane]

IMO WFH doesn't include having your child/ren with you unless in exceptional circumstances.

[doIreallyneedto]

Of course it's possible to work from home with a 1 year old.

But only if you have a nanny and a very separate area to work in where you will not be disturbed.

[JessicaWhistles]

YANBU! That's pretty unprofessional. And as you say, unfair on the baby.

[LL83]

My work is very flexible but you aren't allowed to watch your children while working. You can't work or supervise well. Very occasionally if child is sick you can log and and deal with urgent queries but not plan to work like that.

Perhaps compressed hours? 4 longer days and a day off with baby. Or part time.

[Fiveredbricks]

In America it's the noram for some offices to allow the Mums to keep their newborns with them. I could easily have had my 1yr old at home and worked... I know this because I did!

[Cheetahssitonfajitas]

YANBU. I worked from home from when DS turned 6 weeks, 5 days a week, however I could pick my hours so it was whenever he slept or was entertaining himself, late at night etc. Trying to do a 9-5 and get 7/8 hours in, making phone calls etc would have been impossible.

[MonicaGellerHyphenBing]

YANBU I would imagine (or hope) that most companies would take issue with this and wouldn't allow it.

A friend of mine tried to do this following mat leave and was told in no uncertain terms by her employer that if she was 'working from home' then she needed to arrange alternative childcare. She didn't end up bothering in the end!

[MikeUniformMike]

I don't think it sounds possible unless she has childcare for those 2 days.

[NerrSnerr]

I work from home quite a lot and couldn't work from home with my one year old. I couldn't give him the attention and care he needs whilst doing a full day's work.

[Purpleartichoke]

Working from home still requires childcare. I’ve done it for the last 7 years. My office wanted me to keep working even though we moved. Dd goes to nursery or school or camp. She is now old enough that she can basically be left to her own devices for the odd school closure day. I’ll be shelling out big money for camps this summer so I can work because even though she can make her own lunch now, she would get bored enough day after day and want to interrupt me.

It drives me crazy when people try to treat WFH less seriously than an office job. It gives telecommuters a bad name.

[HappySonHappyMum]

I did worked at home from 12 weeks after my DS was born - didn't even take maternity leave with my second. Do 4-6 hours a day and continue to do so now both mine are teenagers. You have to be organised, get a good routine going and be prepared to 'catch up' in the evening when your DCs are in bed if you or they have a bad day. It is totally worth it

[FinallyGotAnIPhone]

YANBU. Working at home while you’re looking after the kid is taking the piss out of the employer. Plus - not fair on the child assuming she does actually do a bit of work.

[riotlady]

I can hardly get through a couple loads of washing while home with my 1 year old, let alone a full days work!

[Paperplain]

most work places will ensure our have childcare on days you are wfh if that arrangement is offered. We aren't allowed to wfh unless we have declared that we have childcare and rightly so.

[MustBeAWeasly]

I'm self employed and I have to get most of my work done in the evening or nap time because its impossible when 10 month old dd is around. And all of my admin work is on the computer so no ringing clients

[cadburyegg]

YANBU expecting to be able to get paid for a 9-5 job whilst looking after a preschool age child is taking the piss.

But depending on hours and the child it may be possible for her to get, say, 4 hours of work done in a day whilst looking after a baby. Child may nap for 2 hours a day and then she could log on in the evening for 2 hours. I would easily be able to get 4 hours of work done in a day whilst looking after my 1 year old but he is a fairly easy baby and also naps quite well. No way could I do it with my 4 year old who is much more demanding.

[MaverickSnoopy]

Really depends on the role I think. I did when DD1 was unwell and she just slept all the time but that wasn't customer facing. I interviewed for a job once where I was told that so long as I picked up x number of hours I could slot them in wherever I wanted. It was a customer facing role so I was shocked. Apparently everyone at the company worked like that. The MD told me that her HR person worked during her child nap time! I didn't get the job but she put me in touch with her client who did offer me a role and who didn't mind me looking after my children when poorly when I wfh. I only did it once or twice though. Just didn't work.

[OstrichRunning]

I wish it was possible - I'm self employed but haven't started working again since 10mo ds came along. I wouldn't dream of taking on new work without sorting childcare first. It would be impossible to concentrate on anything for more than two seconds except in nap time and that's never longer than an hour at a time, usually less.

[ethelfleda]

I think it depends on the job and your routine and your child.
My boy is older (16 months) and my work is flexible. It’s more project based so I can work on stuff in the evening and weekends. I WFH one day per week with DS. Log on while his dad is getting him ready for nursery... log on again when he has his nap then after lunch we go to my Mom’s who will spend time with him while I log on there/come back home. So far it’s working well but if I get to the point where my work or - more importantly - my child suffers I will make alternative arrangements.

[Leontine]

It may not be easy but it’s definitely possible. I know plenty of people who have done it.

[bruffin]

I did it, interestingly enough it was always the men at work who were more supportive of me working from home than the woman.

[SileneOliveira]

I'm self-employed and work from home. What I do is purely internet based and I'm not answering phone calls or anything, I can stop and start as I need to.

But even then, when the kids were small there was nothing I could get done when they were awake and around. I'd work during naps, nursery time then when DH was back from work and could take over.

In a sales role, impossible. And yes, very unprofessional for even suggesting it.

[2birds1stone]

I couldn't Imagine being able to do it .

Dd wants to sit on my lap and press the keyboard.... also naps can vary from 1 hour to 2.

Unless someone is working evening when dp gets home to take over childcare?

[AornisHades]

My wfh flexible working agreement specified my child had to be in childcare when I was wfh.
The advantage to me was the saving in time and money from not commuting.

[user1493413286]

I’ve done it a couple of times when DD is ill and it’s impossible; it’s not fair on the child and you can’t be productive as you would normally.