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AIBU?

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Original poster

Is this reasonable while WFH?

62 replies

Theultracheese · 04/06/2025 17:21

The situation is that there’s 10 of us in a team, we log in to a phone system but dont get many calls at all. Probably take about 5 calls each on average per day.

If you usually have childcare during half term but your child minder had to cancel on Friday, meaning you were working from home with a child running around and shouting etc, would it be reasonable to not log in to the phones that day so that you don’t have to take calls with screaming kids in the background?

OP posts:
Hedonism · 04/06/2025 17:29

If your kids are young enough to be 'running around and shouting' all day then you need proper childcare.

fruitbrewhaha · 04/06/2025 17:27

You probably should have taken the day off. How did you get any work done with a child running around shouting?

If, after explaining the situation to management and they said you needed to work, then you could negotiate not logging into the phone. But only after asking?

Did you just not log in without telling anyone?

BethDuttonYeHaw · 04/06/2025 17:27

That person isn’t doing any work if the children are that young.

they need to take the day off

BoldBlueZebra · 04/06/2025 17:27

We have a hard rule about childcare and if you have none you take unpaid parental leave until you do

InMyOpenOnion · 04/06/2025 17:26

What sort of calls are they - external clients or internal colleagues? Unless they're toddlers or really badly behaved, you should be able to take a call that's not too long.

Greenoteao · 04/06/2025 17:26

if you can’t find any other childcare, talk to your manager, that’s the only reasonable solution, you can’t just not do calls without having that chat

twigsand · 04/06/2025 17:26

My gut says no but in reality shit happens sometimes so I would say only if agreed with other members of staff working - perhaps offer to do something for each of them instead.

Amelie2025 · 04/06/2025 17:24

Could yo not ask your manager/team? Could you do the rest of your job with your child at home?

could you take the day off & do something fun together?

could you ask one of his friends mums & you have them another day? (Weekend day if you work FT)

littlemissprosseco · 04/06/2025 17:23

It will be age dependent

K0OLA1D · 04/06/2025 17:23

How old are the dc? Surely you can ask but if they're young children then you'd be being unreasonable trying to work with them there anyway

littlemissprosseco · 04/06/2025 17:22

Well, kids don’t scream all day!
So I’d say do what you can, as long as the rest of the team understand.

Sirzy · 04/06/2025 17:22

You would be unreasonable to be working with no childcare. You need to find an alternative or take a day off work