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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that if everyone took their babies to work it would be chaos in the workplace?

84 replies

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 21:13

Watched www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01l4529/Babies_in_the_Office_Episode_2/this earlier this evening, about Addison Lee the cab firm who had a trial of employees bringing their children into work with them - youngest was a three month old, eldest was over two years.

Interesting programme and I admire the MD for thinking in such an innovative way, but my feeling is that if the practice was widespread it would be absolute chaos and I'm not sure that it's the best environment for the children either.

I'm aware that lots of people will disagree and think it's brilliant - I'm not looking for a bunfight! I'm just interested in people's perspectives on this.

Is this the way of the future or complete madness?

OP posts:

fivegomadindorset · 17/07/2012 21:37

Mine would have to be vetted by the minstry of justice and have a key talk.

Original poster

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 21:37

Wow I thought I'd get a roasting for suggesting that this wasn't a wonderful and fantastic situation! I can never predict mumsnet!

OP posts:

oreocrumbs · 17/07/2012 21:39

I fully intended to take DD to work with me (self employed), I took her a few times when she was tiny and basically asleep of bfing and that was fine. I didn't return to work properly untill she was 9mo and after taking her in for an emergency meeting, I realised it just wouldn't work.

Someone had to watch her. So if I was busy then I had a manager playing with her, if that manager needed to do something I had to stop and take over. All I acheived was to half productivity and bore my child.

knitcorner · 17/07/2012 21:42

Just watching it now and getting v annoyed with the sympathetic slant it is giving to Addison lee who obviously have paid for the production to try and make us forget their bus lane bad news story do not believe this pr spin!!

Really, do kids want to spend their childhood in that kind of environment? Really?! They have the rest of their lives to be bored in an office.

I feel sorry for those kids.

Original poster

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 21:45

That's how it looked oreo - the other employees seemed to be picking up the slack and amusing the child quite a lot, which doesn't seem fair. However a lot of the employees seemed happy to do that, and some of the men who had not been in favour of it at the beginning changed their minds.

I wouldn't want to conduct a meeting or business transaction with someone who was distracted by their child, tbh. I probably wouldn't call back a firm if I'd had a shrieking baby in my ear either (I'm hypersensitive to high pitched sounds).

OP posts:

pouffepants · 17/07/2012 21:45

As a delivery driver with kids who get travel sickness, this would not go well.

Original poster

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 21:47

What was the bus lane bad news story? Can you link?

It struck me as a big pr/advertisement thing when I was watching it, and I thought they'd rule out the idea at the end. I was really surprised when they decided to implement it permanently.

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Original poster

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 21:48

at the mental images of babies in delivery vans, detox units, ministry of justice!

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Ambi · 17/07/2012 21:49

I did this when DD was 8 months old, she sat in a bumbo on my desk or in her travel cot with toys. She played and slept well, this was suggested by the owner as he couldn't bear to leave his own kids in nursery. I had no problems working and DH worked there too so could help out if needed. The bosses wife brought hers in too and my colleague too, it was a mini creche in the acs dept. I did it for about 6 months and was grateful to be with DD (pfb) whilst at work. I left the company due to a bucketload of reasons but having baby DD at work was great for me at the time. My colleague found it tougher as her DD wasn't so easily settled though.

pouffepants · 17/07/2012 21:49

Is it always the mums who are expected to take their kids in?

myhandslooksoold · 17/07/2012 21:53

Good point pouffle

Glittertwins · 17/07/2012 21:53

I am able to work with my two around in the house, I can tune them out as "background noise" and can plot phone calls around them easily enough. Instant messaging is a useful tool at times instead.

Original poster

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 21:55

Nice to hear a differing viewpoint and positive experience Ambi.

No Pouffle two of the people on the programme were fathers.

OP posts:

HomeEcoGnomist · 17/07/2012 21:59

ThePan - yes, I would expect there would be insurance issues. I know that our public liability insurance doesn't cover anyone under the age of 16 being in the building on a regular basis. I don't see how this idea is actually workable for the vast majority of workplaces.

Plus, I go to work for a rest

Tinuviel · 17/07/2012 22:02

I used to go into work with my mum but she was a KS1 teacher (worked in a different county to the one we lived in, so different holidays). This was probably from about 8 years old. After my 'O' levels I went in 3 days a week till the end of her term - I was her very own TA!! And this was well before TAs were even thought of. It did confirm that I didn't want to teach littlies but am now a secondary teacher.

I think tiny babies would be fine - they feed, play and sleep but once they are mobile, it gets quite tricky.

pouffepants · 17/07/2012 22:06

OK, that's cool if some of the dad's were happy to do this.

I personally would be on complete burnout though, if I was working simultaneous to childcaring, and then going home to contribute to home life. I wouldn't expect dh to do everything at home, since he'd need some time off out of work hours himself, but I'd be working 40 hours plus a week, entertaining dcs 40 hours plus per week, but not in a comfortable childfriendly environment, so that would be work in itself.

I'd then go home, guilty that dc had been cooped up all day, and having to dole out all the bribes accrued during the day. I can't see me getting any work done, any housework done, and giving dc a crap childhood.

bobbledunk · 17/07/2012 22:10

I think it would be torture to have to put up with other peoples babies (screaming and shitty nappies...ugh..) and there's no way you could get any work done unless it was a baby so neglected that they had given up looking for interaction and were too depressed to move. Once they're crawling they want to be into everything so it would be very dangerous when there's no one paying attention.

Babies need to be spoken to, sang to, taken for walks, picnics, the park, a safe area for them to crawl, climb, stand, learn to walk, play, while under constant watch etc... Not tied to a chair (or wherever your putting them) in a stuffy office, being ignored while their mother works (or tries to).

ThePan · 17/07/2012 22:11

Home - is that short of being definitive?. I want it to happen, but the OberMeisterHR I suspect will come up with a flimsy excuse coz he is a little fascist puritan jobsworth bastard winning, well-thought out argument.

Brightspark1 · 17/07/2012 22:17

Well we don't all work in offices, toddlers in ICU playing with the ventilators, playing with TB patients...

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 17/07/2012 22:33

It would all get a bit confusing in my line of work. Taking my toddler to someone else's house so I can do play based work with their toddler.

Specially with DC5 who is an utter loon and would terrify some of the tiny mites I work with!

There I would be with my bubbles and blocks. Encouraging eye contact and DC would leap in front of me nick my bubbles and start flinging blocks about.

NameGames · 17/07/2012 22:40

I worked in an office in the US where mothers brought their newborns in (it was always mothers, in theory because one of the main reasons for it was to make breastfeeding easier) for the first 6 months+.

It was occasionally distracting, but on the whole it was very positive. I didn't have kids at the time or any plans to have any, but it definitely made me feel the organization was flexible about work-life balance and committed to its employees as people not just as robots to do work. It also meant those mothers were more likely to return to work and didn't have to rush off to pick their children up from nursery dot on 5, so I suppose from a mercenary perspective it may have paid-off too. The mothers I knew well were stoked to be able to do it. Thought it was brilliant. And I think every woman who had a child while I was there did it for a while. Seemed to be much less popular once babies were crawling and I don't think anyone brought in a toddler regularly though.

Minshu · 17/07/2012 22:44

I couldn't do it - when DD was a tiny baby she seemed to cry and puke every time I put her down. I was proud of myself for getting the washing up done in a day, let alone do any paid work. And, now she's a toddler it would be terrible for everyone concerned, in spite of her being reasonably laid back and pleasant most of the time...

Luckily, DD happens to be in the nursery next door to my office, so couldn't be more convenient :)

ElephantsCanRemember · 17/07/2012 22:48

I remember spending the day in a changing room with my toys whilst my mum worked on the till at Beatties
Nothing else to add, but brought back a nice memory though hell would freeze over before I ever considered taking my DC to any job

MissCoffeeNWine · 17/07/2012 22:57

I have done it, though I haven't watched the programme. I had DD at work with me until she was 3 and now she is still in in school holidays. I also took her to university with me until she was 2. I am having another DC and will be starting work again at about 4 weeks by taking the baby with me. I can't see any other way to do it. But like people above I'm self-employed and run my own day.

Original poster

NonAstemia · 17/07/2012 23:20

Interesting variety of responses and experiences. I think a lot of it depends on the temperament of the baby (and the age). I can see how it would work for some with laid-back and placid babies, but the majority of babies aren't like that, surely? In a call centre where you're constantly taking calls, or where you have to be concentrating hard and are rated on your productivity, how on earth do you divide your time and do both your work and your child justice?

OP posts:

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