to think this comment was a bit uncalled for

[cuteboots]

so anyway had to take a day off yesterday as my son was a bit unwell. I think its this sickness bug thing thats going round as there is another lady off today as her kids are unwell. Came back to day to my boss saying that employing people with children is going to be banned and we are all lightweights! I had to bite my tongue as I know she doesnt liked children anyway and also cos im absolutely shattered afer looking after my son yesterday but was this comment a bit out of order or am I just being a bit touchy?

Yup. And discriminatory. And if she actually tried it (and it could be proven), she'd find herself in trouble!

Depends on her tone, my boss and I joke about things like this, we have that sort of relationship.

I agree with mrskeith

Are you working for Liz Jones by any chance?

If you feel like stirring things maybe you could send her an email, cc'd to the HR department, asking her to confirm that her comments the other day regarding not employing people with children were light hearted and not meant to indicate company policy.

Parents are often far more reliable employees as they stick in a job for longer as they want stability, therefore save companies money on training and recruitment costs. I would have said something but then i'm a cow now days!

Was she joking? Maybe have a quiet word if you're friendly with one another, and tell her it's quite a serious comment to make, and you wouldn't want her to get into trouble by saying things like that, even if its supposed to be a joke.

When my previous boss (lawyer, female, unmarried, no children and in all probability on the Spectrum) offered me my job, she said, "And if you get pregnant, I will shoot you."

I was a little surprised - clearly an inappropriate comment - but laughed it off saying that my DH would probably shoot me first.

Actually, we got on pretty well despite her occasional wierdness. She had some Asian blood (about which she was very proud) and used to joke about having "a touch of the tar brush", which I know would be very offensive to a number of people. I did pull her up on 2 occasions, and she immediately apologised.

If your boss is serious, she is breaking the law.

If she is not serious, I would probably make it clear that you find her comments inappropriate / unfunny.

Is it illegal to discriminate against people with children, as long as it's both sexes ?

socharlotte- Im hoping it is and not something an normal employer would do anyway?

Whether she was being serious or not, she clearly hasn't thought it through. If we banned people who had children from working, would that include the dads? Even if not, the workforce would be so seriously depleted that labour costs would rise dramatically, and she could be paying more for the staff she's got......

On a serious note, the comment was out of order in my opinion.

Surely she was just making a light hearted joke???