AIBU to think working from home with chickenpox child is unfair?

I’m confused - what did you want them to say? In my workplace, if you feel able to wfh as a one-off, hen you would be allowed to, but if not, you have the option of taking annual leave or emergency dependents leave which would be unpaid.

You really don't want to have to take annual leave for chickenpox though, it lasts for ages. Especially if you have multiple children, and a sibling is going to come down with it in two weeks just as the first one is back to normal.

My employer would also allow WFH for this. Most people would start at 6am, and do a few hours while their child was still sleeping, work intermittently though the day, then a few hours in the evening if needed to make the time up.

Chickenpox took a full month to clear my DC to the point nursery let them all back, a month of unpaid leave would have been a serious blow!

I really don’t understand why you’re so het up about this. If you’re not coping you need to say your child is sicker than you were expecting and need to take holiday or dependents leave.

Often with a sick child you can just plonk them on the sofa with a film and they’re happy
to watch or have a dose. Your manager was presumably trying to give you a bit of flex knowing chicken pox is likely
to be a week at home for the child.

I’ve done a mixture of wfh with a sick child, taking 1/2 days of leave to shorten the day and parental leave.

I don’t understand why you can’t just tell them you’d rather not take their option and book yourself some leave. From what you’ve said it sounds as if they know your productivity will drop. I manage a team of people who work flexibly and if they tell me they want to take a day’s leave next week I always ask whether they need to dip into their leave entitlement or could they just work extra in the week before and after. It’s just an option. What does your policy say?

Agree, it is more like a reverse. Colleague being given leeway and paid to wfh.

Wow.

“what are they going to do about it” - well there’s plenty an employer can do about your attitude tbh.

I think they are being flexible, I’d rather that than take it unpaid unless of course you’re unable to manage doing both.

Well take the day as annual leave or unpaid. Your employer is doing you a solid in allowing you to WFH while you look after your sick child and you're whining about them? Give your head a wobble!

Your child will be taking up some of your time but mostly resting and sleepy on antihistamines and paracetamol. You will still be able to work an 80% day while attending to your child's water intake and medication.

If your child is more unwell take parental leave.

Parental leave?

I’m 95% certain this poster is a colleague of someone who’s been told to do this. I’m 90% certain they also don’t have a child of their own, or it’s been a very long time, or they have a child under 5, as I can’t see why they would think so much needs to be juggled.

You should be pleased you work for such a caring employer. Obviously if you end up with a load of extra work as a result, you need to speak to your boss (but if they’d taken a day off unpaid you’d have had even more to cover), but it works both ways and I’m sure next time you don’t feel 100% but still feel like you can work, they’ll let you wfh instead.

Did you want a paid day off, like a sick day? Or would you have been happy to use annual leave or have an unpaid parental leave day?

This feels very much like you just don't like wfh (clue is in the username) and this is simply another reason to complain about it. Most parents would probably be able to work while caring for a mildly ill child, if that child is old enough to rest on the sofa or in bed with periodic check-ins, food/drinks, etc. It depends on the child, the severity of the illness, and the type of work you're doing, of course, but if it's simply not possible, you're always free to take the day off. Your choice!

If I offered WFH in this scenario to someone I was line managing, my expectation would be that they would try their best and would probably manage more like 5-6 hours of sending emails and keeping on top of things, rather than a full 8 hours of undivided attention and the most productive day they'd ever had in their job. Most people would then pedal a bit harder later in the week to ensure that by end of Friday they were back to normal.

This is for a standard issue medium pressure office job. Maybe not if you're like Secretary General of the UN.

Another option is getting a friend, relative, or even professional sitter to come and look after your child in your home while you work upstairs.

Do you have limited/no paid leave for situations like this? At my work we get two days paid carer leave per year. If one of my team contacts me in this situation I'll just say "No problem, just do what you can workwise" because this means they can keep an eye on emails, deal with anything urgent and maybe do a hour or so whilst their little one sleeps without losing a days leave. I don't expect them to perform to their usual standard. I'd only suggest using the carers leave if they specifically asked to use it because they want to be able to forget work for the day and focus 100% on their child.

Your child is 5 so doesn't need to be supervised all the time so there's no reason you can't do some work.
If you didn't want to have to work why not call in sick yourself or take carers leave.

Do you expect them to pay you when you aren't working? If so YABVVU, if you asked for last minute annual leave and there wasn't some huge deadline I'd have some sympathy. But it's not up to your employer to pay you to look after a sick child, they pay you to work on their priorities.

Did you ask to take unpaid leave? Sorry it’s not clear what you actually wanted.

Did you ask to take unpaid leave instead? Seems they are trying to help you, you could have just asked for unpaid or to use annual leave surely?

Hi op if you cannot do the work you need to tell them it sounds like a misunderstanding to me. Hi employer sorry I can’t do both on this occasion poorly child so I will need to take unpaid leave. Done.

Is your child very ill with chickenpox? If not, what is there to juggle? Pop them in front of the tv, or let them play with their toys. Is their dad in the picture?

Couple of choices for you really op and it will depend on the age of the child and if they are feeling poorly in bed or racing round.
Last dc who was ill was lying on the sofa/bed sleeping on and off so I wfh and kept an eye.
When I had toddlers no wfh so I took annual leave
If i offered wfh to an employee I would assume they could work adequately or it gives the flexibility to catch up when spouse is home etc. If they couldn't I would expect them to use their "grown up voice" and request leave
You are being deliberately obtuse and studdorn

Depends. Emergency leave for dependents is paid at my work.
But op should have said to her work that she needs the day off.

I have several in my team. They all have kids at varying ages, all WFH full time. If they ever have sick kids, they let me know and the response is always “is there anything I can take off you work wise/meetings I can attend in your absence”
followed by a “just do what you can and don’t worry” type reaction. The ones with sick 2 years that will be very little, the ones with sick 8 years olds may find it a bit easier. The point is, I’m telling them I don’t expect them to work at full capacity on those days. If at all depending on the age of the child and what the illness is. No requiring a day’s holiday or sick leave or parental leave.

Take parental leave