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

[NonAstemia]

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?

It's more accepted in the US, especially Kansas! www.babiesatwork.org/companies.html

I expected it might be more accepted in Scandanavia but I can't find anything about it.

I used to take dd into work when she was tiny, but only because work was desperate for help and they rang and begged me to come in when she was only 2 weeks old Anyway i did, and i bf her at my desk whilst i got on with work. But i don't think it would work with an older child.

I think it devalues the status of childcare even further to assume that it can be done alongside a full time job; this is a retrograde step, IMO.

Imagine if you hired a nanny to look after your child and s/he decided to work full time in a call centre whilst doing so.

Love the idea of workplace creches, though.

Taking children into work? No, no...and no. I had a colleague for a short time (she was admin on a trial basis), and the girl never stopped talking. Her friend was on a trampoline at the weekend "wheeeee"...it was class and SOOOOO funny and her other friend pulled this guy in the toilets and then tracy from down the road and becky from the estate got upset because rachel was bouncing on the trampoline too but she'd had five cheeky vimtos and didn't feel well when john from up the road saved her...and..and...and...

I was TRYING to do the payroll. I wanted to KILL her. Having kids around would be MUCH worse! No thanks...affordable...well, available childcare would be a much better option. I just could not concentrate if my kids were with me demanding attention!

I have been known to use this as a threat.
I used to hate it when people - usually dads - brought their DCs in during school holidays and planked them next to the nearest available woman (me) to babysit.
"Now - er, I've got meetings most of the day, but you sit next to festival here and she'll play with you! Any problems, let me know but it's a very important meeting so I shouldn't be interrupted... Be a good boy, now!"
If I was at the same company I would have my revenge now... "It's perfectly all right, I've brought some crayons for her.. oh dear minifest, we don't draw on the nice sales plan....bwah hah hah hah hah...."

I was watching this gobsmacked. Aside from the parents saving on childcare, I can't see how it benefits anyone - the child, the company, the colleagues or the parents.

It seemed utterly bananas to me, and seeing those little children toddling around such a bland, sterile and unsafe environment all day long with very little in the way of interaction or entertainment was shocking. That's no way to spend your childhood, surely?

Allowing parents the flexibility to work from home is surely much better - the children are in a better environment, the noise is confined to one person so colleagues and their clients aren't distracted. Or allowing children to come in if absolutely necessary. But as a daily thing, it seems entirely counter-productive all round.

Absolutely ridiculous. Businesses are struggling enough as it is. They are not there to accomodate people's babies/toddlers/whatever. You go to work to provide a service to them.

I've got a great idea for the next series

Take your baby to work - as a childminder

Works well for my CM - for anyone else, not so much.

I want to see 007 take his kids in to work.

Like Fivegomadindorset, the kids would need a key talk - and as the place is full of paedophiles it probably wouldn't be a great idea to be honest...!

There's no way I would , my dc was a tornado at that age.

I run my own business and even so i rarely bring the kids to work with me. Firstly, they annoy the fuck out of me when I'm trying to get stuff done and secondly, they can't resist poking/prodding/pulling/pushing/drawing on stuff. I would go insane in about 3 minutes.

that was the reason they made a proviso that over 1yos go in the nursery they are going to provide.

i think it's a perfect solution.

DD is 7months now and it's been ideal (almost - not so good when she kicks off, but most computer/phone based work can be done, because she can generally be fed when she's grouchy (most babies will do sleep too))

I used to take DS into work when he was a baby but we are a very small company (3 of us and the office dog) so really it was no big deal.

DS is 9 and even now if I need to I can bring him into work although I try to avoid it at all costs.

It wouldnt work in a big company but yeah, for a small company it's fine!

I don't think it's an acceptable idea. Who inevitably picks up the slack created by their colleagues trying to balance job/childcare?

From MPOV as a person not planning on having children, I would find this grossly unfair.

I think it is more around the US where they get no paid maternity leave so they are leaving 2 week old babies to go to work. I think the alternative there is loads better. A few of the mums on the program were single mums who would pay out more in childcare than they were earning so an alternative to claiming benefits for them.

I think it could work with a baby who doesn't move. My main issue is thinking back to my daughter who never slept and had to be held standing up all day and night I think I couldn't have concentrated before she was crawling anyway. I was lucky though that I planned and saved for maternity leave before I got pregnant.

Onsite creche is a great idea, I really think all medium to large companies should have this. It would save so many problems for working parents.

Most jobs I can think of (hospitals, GP surgeries, schools, joiner, roofer, plumber, builder etc trying to supervise a small kid and work would be impossible. This is a gimmick for people with office jobs who don't do much actual work.

OP - it's not common in Scandinavia as they have universal heavily subsidised childcare.

It is common in the states as there is no maternity leave.

If you have a quiet baby I don't see any problem (assuming it's feasible in your workplace). I think it'd be very hard to look after a toddler and work productively, but I think on site nurseries are a great compromise.

I think I could have done this with DS when he was tiny - he was a very quiet placid baby who would have been happy with different people to look at and some toys to occupy him. Now that he's a toddler there's no way it would work, I would spend my whole time chasing after him. Up to the age of about 9 months I think it's a very good idea as babies of that age are usually quite amenable and their environment doesn't make a massive difference as long as they have some human company and plenty to eat and drink. Beyond that age would be a disaster I think.

I'm about to start working from home soon. It'll be interesting to see how well I can fit my work around DS. Luckily it's very part time but still I think it'll be quite a struggle trying to sustain a train of thought while fielding demands for food and for books to be read.

I can't imagine children in the office being a very popular idea.
Onsite creche is a nice idea, it's surprising actually that there isn't more demand for this (or maybe there is, but companies don't want to do it?). Though I guess many parents would rather use a childminder/nursery near their home, rather than bring the child on their commute (thinking of what rush hour trains are like...)

I'd be okay doing it with my (pretty quiet) babies, but after about six months I'd rather they were somewhere somebody could give them a bit more attention and they had more time to move around.

Onsite creche is a brilliant idea though, I wish there were more.

I started watching this with my DH and started laughing hysterically at the idea of taking a toddler to work!

I have taken both DD and DS into work with me- but I do work in nurseries
I used to go with my dad when i was small, but not a baby, in his lorry. It's not allowed now, but i used to love it because the cab is very high up and you can see much more than in a car.
I think it's a daft idea to propose that parents can work and look after babies at the same time.
But I do agree that companies should have more workplace nurseries.

I work in sexual health and spend all day talking about sex and carrying out intimate examinations. Little Itchyjumper would be running around shouting "cervix" and "chlamydia" and playing crocodiles with the speculums. We'd get black balled from playgroup.

A workplace creche would be amazing though.