WFM and childcare

[Rainbowhairdontcare]

I worked for 7+ years at the largest travel .com For the most part it was all from home (apart from the odd meeting in London). They knew I had a baby when I started and nobody minded.. As long as I had my DD in childcare when I was in scheduled meetings nobody bat an eyelid.

If there was an unexpected meeting, it was not uncommon for children, pets, etc (of colleagues or mine) to interrupt meetings.

I'm thinking of going into a similar arrangement with my employer, but everybody seems to think it's a complete no-no and that I shouldn't even be allowed. My boss knows that I'm having a baby, but he knows my workload is flexible (can easily be done in the evenings / nap time) and hasn't said a thing about childcare provision.

The company is small and he's Australian so maybe it's a mix of inexperience in his part and my extra flexible previous experience.

No company that I ever worked for would allow an employee to WFH whilst caring for child/ren. Makes sense to me. How can you possibly give both the full attention they need?

In my previous role (which will have similar things to this new one) I worked with different time zones, so the working hours were not 9-5 and there was an element of "project based" so as long as you worked your 40 hours in a 7 day period it really didn't matter.

I think it depends on the job/hours.
The only work from home job I've ever had I just submitted timesheets and I regularly put say
1-3pm (nap time) then 8-11pm (DS asleep), they didn't care when I worked, as long as I did.

Thanks Camomila that's more or less what I did and plan to do. As long as the job is done, it doesn't matter if you do it in chunks, over the weekend or in the wee hours.

Many of my team work from home on a regular basis but it is compulsory that they have childcare in place. No working from home whilst doing childcare at the same time. You can’t guarantee your DC’s will nap at the same time you are required on a conference call.

I don't think there would be any conference calls involved. I would still go to the office (once I go back FT anyways) and I can call any clients once DH is home. By the time he's home it would be noon or earlier where the clients are based.

Our WFH policy explicitly disallows this.

We don't have one just like we I'm the first pregnant employee! It's all very new for everyone involved. They used to offer flexible working but people took the piss. He didn't say how or why, but they were willing to take a chance with me.

I think the flexible working arrangement you had before was extremely unusual. I've never known a company say "work your hours when you want around your life as long as the job gets done". You can't work effectively with a baby (even if asleep as they tend to wake up unexpectedly) and a company generally wants some idea of whether you are "in" in case they need to contact you. It sounds like you want more of a free lance arrangement than an employed arrangement.

I agree that most companies wouldn't allow this. For me once my children got past newborn age it would have been impossible. I now have a 2 year old and I couldn't work with him as he doesn't nap and needs attention.

If I charged them "freelancing" fees they'd had to pay me at least triple of what they currently pay me. If you put in on an hourly rate they pay me around £8.65 a localiser/translator charges £25ph and that's just part of my role.

It's early days really, but of what I've seen in the office they never go into meetings once every fortnight if that).

I wouldn't do it FT, just between 15-20hrs and then once I go back maybe do 2 WFH days and 3 in the office.

Also, how unfair on your little one that your attention is split. You can’t focus properly on either your child or your work if you have them in the same space together.

At 9-12 months they still nap (realistically I need 3 hours between 8-6) and that is if I go back FT those last three months which will also depend on my payrise.

Once back FT will be slightly different as I think I'll get him to.go to a childminder a couple of hours those two days I WFH.

Very unlikely that a decent company would agree to this- I would think your previous company was quite badly run to be honest. What is the issue with putting them in good childcare a few hours a day? It’s better for you too, you don’t want to be working all hours like you’re in some kind of sweat shop

My employer will ask to see childcare arrangements in writing before allowing it as a permanent solution.

Ad hoc WFM because a child is I’ll only is allowed if the child is in secondary and therefore deemed more independent. I did it from Y5 but only because my colleagues knew that my husband always works from home and therefore could jump in if necessary.

For what it's worth my 8 month old doesn't nap for a total of 3 hours in a day.. sometimes as little as 2.

I hope you figure it out, they seem very relaxed but this is far from the norm as PP's have said.

At 9-12 months they still nap (realistically I need 3 hours between 8-6)

Hope you don't get a baby like my DS then - I'd have maybe got an hour and a half in 2 45 minute stretches, and I'd be so frazzled after the effort of getting him to sleep that there's no way I could have worked effectively.

Well my previous company is massive, but TBF most of my colleagues where in the US so maybe that pattern is more common over there.
My main problem with putting them in child care is the cost, the whole idea to WFH is so most of my salary doesn't go on it. Per hour in childcare I'd be making £2 or thereabouts.

If they give me a substantial payrise I think I wouldn't mind so much. But again with only 15-20 hrs in a whole week I can easily do them.when DH is at home, the real question would be when I go back FT.

We're not allowed to do this until the child is old enough to sit on the X box all day

But if it's not time critical and you are able to work after baby is asleep and get the job done then no harm asking.

It has been approved. It's just up to me to choose how many hours I want to do. I'd like the same as I'd get with SMP but that's about 20hrs a week. However if my payrise is significant (which I hope) I'd work fewer hours and maybe just ask for one day from home once I'm back.

OP unless I’m missing something you’re paid less than minimum wage! What do you do?

I make £18k which is just above MW. That was with my entry level job (moderation analyst). When I go back I won't be going back to it but rather to an International Operations Manager role. So a payrise is expected.

I have tons of experience (my former boss is the 3rd in command at FB ATM) and have tons of experience and know-how to give to this company.

My previous salary was £50k (and that was with a work remotely pay cut as couldn't go to meetings in London anymore).

A very similar role to the one I'm going back is being advertised with a £50-70k salary London based though.

I'm hoping my new salary will be between £25-27k but I haven't discussed it yet as it's 9 months in the future.

What a bizarre career. It sounds a bit like one of those remote sweat shops. If it is I wouldn’t bother even asking them if I can keep my baby with me.

Not quite, but that's more or less my reasoning Passthecherrycoke . With such a level of responsibilities with that salary there's a lot of leeway to be flexible.

I work from home 2 days a week with my 3 year old around (the other 3 days in the office with LO at nursery).It was actually my bosses idea, I was reluctant at first but did a trial run in December last year when it was quiet and we got into a routine and we have continued it so far. As long as the work is done it's fine.