Bring Your Child To Work Day - yes or no?

[MumsnetJobsTeam]

Many companies have Bring Your Child To Work Day, where parents can show their children where they work and give them some experience of the workplace.

On one hand, these days can be an opportunity for children to learn, as well as find out more about their parents' lives. They can also make parents feel more supported in the workplace as their children are positively acknowledged and encouraged.

However, some say Bring Your Child To Work Day could be challenging for those who have lost a child, or are struggling to conceive. There are also some who think the practice isn't worth the potential drop in productivity - particularly for childless colleagues who are distracted, whether they like it or not.

We'd like to get your thoughts on Bring Your Child To Work Days. Are they a fun, useful opportunity, or something that should be approached with caution? And if so, what could companies do instead?

We do it, at various sites. We also have school groups in at times, and groups of girls. It can only be allowed at office sites, not technical sites.

It's organised - you have to sign up in advance. There are age limits (over 8, sometimes over 12.) Certain roles can't take part because of confidentiality, and you need your manager to agree. The aim is to educate people about all the different possible roles in a large tech company and to encourage them to consider what careers they might go into.

It's mainly based in the big conference room, with talks from people in various parts of the business, and STEM-related activities. They get a building tour, and usually, we coordinate with at least one of the other offices to use the video-conferencing facilities, which is usually one if the most popular parts of the day. They get to sit with their parents at their desks for an hour or so towards the end of the day.

The feedback is usually positive, it definitely was the year I organised it. I learnt loads more about the company through doing it, so it was useful for me, too. It's not a babysitting service, which not all parents seem to understand at times.

I am childless. I think this is a good thing, to the point I have organised it and written a playbook for others to organise it. I know a couple of women who have had miscarriages in the last year - one has been out to speak to school groups. I would expect it''s more challenging when people bring babies in than older children - and that isn't planned in the same way, so people can't plan to avoid it in the same way that they can with bring your children.

I grew up on a farm, so I lived on my father's workplace and sometimes went round the farm with him from a young age, so at school, I found it odd that some people didn't really know what their parents did in their jobs.

I actually work with my son who’s just turned 16. We work at a theme park and sometimes he’s my boss!!!! He works some weekends and school holidays

I live in Ontario, Canada. Each September/early October we have a province-wide "take your grade 9 to work" day (grade 9 = 13/14). It's typically their first year of high school so they are thinking about choosing courses and what they might do after.

Usually they would tag along with a parent but if that isn't suitable or appealing they can ask someone else. It's province wide so employers are pretty good about it. I work from home but Dh is a chef so our kids go along with him for the day.

While the grade 9s are out of the school the grade 8's cone for an orientation, getting ready for the next year.

I think it is a waste of time and it would be wholly inappropriate to have children in my work environment, from both safety and client confidentiality perspectives.
I am not even convinced of the value of work experience weeks for older children. I don't think many kids get any real insight into the working world as it all tends to be very artificial. Pupils on placement tend to get rather rose tinted views of the industries they visit.In my experience pupils tend to arrange things via someone they, or their parents, know and placements don't necessarily relate to their real career aspirations. I think it is largely a tick box exercise to be frank, and some pupils are at a distinct advantage over others, depending on family contacts.
We live in a semi rural area with comparatively few opportunities and very little public transport. I bet most of the local employers really hate work experience weeks. Not only are their businesses overrun with kids but they will have dozens of employees requesting leave from their real jobs so they can take their children to pretend ones. There is certainly no way I will be able to deliver mine to their placements and get to my own work on time. There are definitely better ways of educating children about the world of work. For example my DH was a STEM ambassador in the past and has done various projects with schools - much more time efficient and useful all round in my opinion.

My husbands work does it, it’s more of a morning. it’s very structured and for 8+yo only, they have activities and challenges to do (engineering) and everyone is kicked out at lunch time.

I can see theoretically it's a nice idea and would work really well in some areas..not mine in the NHS. As someone who is unable to have children yes it would be hard for me. I'd find it very difficult actually although would not say anything.

It is ridiculous to not do something because you will upset those who cannot join in. Life is upsetting sometimes. Sometimes we cannot have what we want, in this case it would be children, and sometimes we experience loss. That's life!

I wrote that as someone who experienced infertility whilst being part of a large family where everyone had children. It hurt a lot. But unavoidable pain- should the family have not shared and celebrated their children to avoid hurting me? No. We will all experience grief and loss at some point. That is life.

Ha no
Would you want to be sat in the dental chair having treatment while my ADHD child ran wild around you?
No Me neither

Wouldn’t work for my workplace

Sure a woman is not going to want to be in labour with my 8 & 5 year old asking questions!

On a side note, of course it is nice for the children to know where parents are off to every day. But I did this off my own back in our own time. We happened to be at the hospital. I brought them to the floor I work on we stayed in the corridor and I explained where each door led and what I did in that area and they were very interested and now are able to talk more about my day with me.

I’ve been to my DH’s one in an office environment. It was just before Christmas with loads of craft activities and a Santa visit. It was extremely loud and chaotic, so no one would have got any work done. DH would have preferred to have been given the day off.

I also did it in the 90s - take your daughter to work day - and I loved it! I got to go on the train with my dad to London and meet the people he’d mentioned in his office.

I think it was designed to show girls they could have a career - my mum didn’t work. I suppose once that got a bit pointless they felt they had to carry it on for both sexes. I don’t think it’s needed anymore.

It’s not really “bring your child to work day”, though. It’s more like “work based entertainment day for children”.
I think it’s pretty useless. Much more useful would be offering work experience to older children or a proper family day where nobody has to work on the side.

Totally pointless, I barely manage my workload with the constant juggling of kids and life in general & I can’t imagine they would be interested or gain anything from a day of watching an office full of people doing complex reports & VAT returns in an almost silent office!

What a silly idea . I'm sure my 2 year old would love to stand still whilst I look after 40 patients 🤔

My husbands workplace does this, none of mine ever have. They have been doing it for more than 30 years. It's very well organised, the kids have planned activities all day, and are supervised by members of the learning and development team. It's aimed at age 7-11 yr olds.

The industry he works in means they have some very sexy science type experiments they do with the kids, as well as linking it in to employment, school lessons and the wider environment. It's very education and enjoyable for the kids. They get to spend half an hour with their parent, at their desk and meeting colleagues. Not too much of a distraction to the working day. They also get lunch together.

It's great the employer does this, and something our son had looked forward too for a long time. My husband had also been looking forward to it, having worked there for 19 yrs he's seen kids come and have their pictures taken at mum or dads desk, and now works with those kids who have grown up and chosen this industry. One of his colleagues has a picture of himself as a baby, sat on old style weighing scales in the post room!

We suffered infertility for 5 yrs, having 2 rounds of IVF. It's hard for anyone and children are everywhere. If you really can't cope with this one day a year, book it off. Or ask to do a training course that day. I know it's hard, but you also have to carry on living the life you have, and you cannot expect the world to bend and shape to your needs.

Re a PP and social mobility, a child only getting to see the job their parent does. It's a fair point if the visit is an informal one. DH's employer organises the group activities so that every child has the same experience. They have a very wide range of job roles from that site, chemical engineers through to mechanics, retail shop assistants, call centre agents, admin clerks, finance and banking experts as well as all the roles you get within a large office and manufacturing site. HR, facilities, canteen staff etc.

The kids always get to meet a member of the senior management team as well as long serving members of staff in other roles. I personally think it's been designed very well and is really inclusive and inspiring.

I've done an emergency bring your child to work day once when childcare arrangements fell through. My daughter was well behaved and it was lovely for her to see where I work and meet some of my colleagues. Don't see the issue to be honest. When I was growing up my mum and dad had long term employers who were more like family so we often saw their workplace for one reason or another. My dad worked on a farm so we often got to ride on the tractors. Work is a big part of life, children should be exposed to it.

I work from home...The rest of my team is in San Diego, damn, I should have asked the company to pay for us to participate in something like this.

Seriously, the sort of thing CountFosco describes sounds a lot better than 'bring your kid to work', and doesn't have the various downsides. A group of schoolkids wouldn't have the same emotional impact as co-workers kids, would it?

BYKTW could be seen as unfairly advantaging kids whose parents have more interesting jobs and good employers, it's not quite nepotism but bordering on it. Much better to have properly planned events which benefit a larger group, and for kids to be exposed to workplaces other than those their parents may already be able to tell them about.

I would love to do this. I think it's important for kids to know and appreciate what you do and ofc not all workplaces maybe safe for this but having an idea of what we do can make them appreciate how hard we work and also provide a good example to them.

I have been to my dads work place and have amazing memories from those visits. It motivated me to study and work just like him. After my visit I used to appreciate if Dad wanted to have a lie in on a Saturday morning and that if he missed an event at school it's genuinely because he was working v hard (he was a research scientist).

I think it's a silly idea, not because of childless people ar work, but because it's impractical or actively dangerous in some workplaces, distracting in some, boring for a child in many, pointless in mine and dh's (we are both teachers, dh at my DC's school, and anyway the dc have plenty of experience of what it's like in a school!).

In addition to all of that, as a pp said, if anything it potentially reinforces the gap in expectations between children who have parents with high-earning, high-powered jobs and those who don't.

Did this once where it was more of a kiddies party in the canteen, though dd did pop to my desk briefly (I'd say she was 2?). I found it bizarrely stressful, as you have your work persona and your Mummy persona, and I found it strange having colleagues see me in my Mummy persona.

Dd did come to my workplace once when she was 5. It so happened that due to me having to work overtime and dd needing to go to the GP, and DP having the car, that I told them to come up to wait as I was going to be at least another half an hour. Dd was most impressed with me as she saw me behind my desk, working on various things and on the phone to someone (can't remember whether it was the client or other office). She said "Mummy, you're different when you're at work. You're a little scary!" I've never seen her so well behaved. (I was a legal secretary for a small practice).

From a nosiness point of view, I find it interesting watching the dynamics between colleagues and their children though!

Interestingly, she is now coming to the notion of wanting to study law (though I'm not sure she has the focus to study at the level that would require). She's in GCSE year.

It’s probably too hard to make a blanket decision about as there are so many factors. I take my youngest to work with me in the holidays now he is ole enough to entertain himself. DH works in construction and is often on site, so not appropriate. He did take him in for a day once around Christmas and they had a lovely day, DS did some drawings & they went out for lunch.