AIBU to think that flexible, family-friendly jobs do not exist.

[MothersRuinart]

A job where you don't get penalised for having to stay home with a sick child, either by having to use annual leave or take unpaid leave. A job where you can leave earlier or start later at a short notice and be able to work up the lost hours another time. A job that would allow you to work from home regularly and/or often and/or at short notice. A company or a work environment that doesn't resent you for having to miss workdays due to childcare issues. Where you're not overlooked for a promotion because you're a parent.

I've never worked for a company like that, neither have any of my friends as far as I know. Tbf, most problems would be solved if more companies allowed their staff to work from home more often or were more flexible with their hours.

I understand that there are jobs where flexibility is not an option but I think most jobs could be much more flexible than they are now.

[natienka]

farfalla what was the job?

[Rozdeek]

I work in higher education administration. I work from home one day a week (out of four) and am not penalised for time off with sick DC.

[FleshEmoji]

This came up on a work email today:

www.treatwell.com/jobs/?gh_jid=614577

[parrots]

seb2015 so are all those online reviews of Copify wring then? People talk about earning £5 for a 500 word piece of writing?

[DaisyFlower161]

I'm a tax adviser working in a small private company. The last job I did allowed this as a forward thinking small tech company whose sales staff travel/work from home a lot so working from home is normal. The larger companies like Deloitte, PWC can be very flexible I understand - never worked for them so can't confirm - and my current job is also with a small family friendly company whose professional staff travel a fair bit. Mind you this is mainly for the trained pro staff who have many years experience. Hope that's helpful.

[Seb2015]

MothersRuinart, take a look at Copify. It's up to you how much you earn because you select a job from what's on offer.

[Ticketybootoo]

I think it really depends on the employer and the management . I worked in the private sector in Consultancy for 10 years and some of the leadership were more understanding about family health issues and carer leave / time off for a sick child than an NHS Trust that I have just left after 3 years . I am having a break after many yers working as have got tired of juggling and feel similarly MothersRuinart.
In contrast my own Mother who worked in scientific laboratories worked 3 mornings a week in the 80s and managed to keep that going for many years ! I do feel that employers prefer ' full time ' and that's after 30 years in the workplace

[mumto2two]

The odd sick day off school and doctor's appointment here and there would have been manageable in my previous full time position. But what if you have a child who is off for weeks at a time, and has on average 50 appointments a year, some of which are day long hospital visits? Not even my ultra flexible 2 day a week position managed to survive that. Constantly having to reschedule the days I worked at short notice, yet unable to cram the backlog into subsequent weeks. If however, there had been the ability to work remotely from home, it would have been a different story. There is a huge wealth of resource amongst us that is sadly wasted, and my situation is far from uncommon.

[Wixi]

I work for a lovely company that let me change my hours - I worked full time before I got pregnant, came back 3 full days a week while my daughter went to nursery, then 5 days 8.30 - 2.30 now that she is in school. If I have to leave to pick her up for any reason it's no problem, if I have to come in late due to assemblies etc nothing is said. I do not really have to make up the time, although I pay lip service to it. I don't think there are many companies like this one, and I won't be choosing to leave before my daughter finally leaves school, due to the flexibility.

[Want2bSupermum]

I work for big 4 and in theory its like that. Reality is that with my current client and the crap I am having to deal with I am working until 1am or later every single day and have been since December. Since January I also worked Saturdays and this month Sundays.

I am looking for a new job before I lost my mind (yes I am on a call with a service center who is supposed to get work to us but is very very late).

It was DS's fourth birthday yesterday. I was in meetings until 2:45pm, ran home and walking in at 3:35pm, five mins late for his party. Our poor nanny came in, working a six day week, to look after the kids while DH got everything ready. NEVER doing this again....

[SheRaaarghPrincessOfPower]

They do, I've got one. I'm very lucky, I have a great employer

[DuchessOfPodd]

Corporate America here, very flexible and family friendly, a dealbreaker for me...I am a people person and love to be with others so w@h can be hard for me. Only drawback is overseas travel and being at the mercy of GPs to help out or DH takes holiday off from his not very understanding employer.

[flowergrrl77]

My work are very accommodating, I only work 10am to 2pm and not every day of the week. If a child is sick, I stay home (paid) if a school is closed (snow/strike/other) I stay home. If I need an appointment, on those days I reschedule to work a different day, they've never said no!

What do I do? I work in a bank, customer assistant and till work.

[gingercoffee]

I also used to be a civil servant and my job had pretty much all the perks you describe. I left before I had children, but my colleagues could choose to do flexi-time, or work compressed hours so that they could be back in time to pick up their children, and work from home sometimes, which was great when their kids were off sick.

Now I work weekends and some evenings, which works fine for me, (although it wouldn't if I didn't have a partner who was around at those times). My husband is around when I work, and I am around during the week to do the school run, and to cover any sick-days off school. This kind of working pattern is also a good alternative to flexible week-day working.

[zoeypoey]

I'm a community nurse and it's brilliant. My boss was very understanding when my son was hospitalised and I offered to take unpaid leave....but she wouldn't hear of it. I have bank holidays and Christmas off. I think it is give and take and if your boss is a human being...all the better. It hasn't always been the case though. Last job was horrendous..... Hour late at least coming home every night and when I had to go to court (long story...involving the ex) I had to take it as annual leave. Told my new boss and she was horrifief

[LellyMcKelly]

I'm a university lecturer, and as long as I'm not teaching or in a meeting my time is my own. This means I get to drop the kids off to school and pick them up 3 times a week BUT I get out the laptop most nights after they've gone to bed, and do a few hours most weekends. Apart from half terms, I do get most of the school holidays off, and although the pay isn't brilliant, it's really not too bad.

[farfallarocks]

Flexible!

[farfallarocks]

Well I posted a job that is flexivle and family friendly and also very well
Paid on mumsnet jobs. I had the grand total of one, badly written and inappropriate response!

[RubyWinterstorm]

Treaclesoda and basic, spot on

[pollymere]

My dh was upfront when he took his new job that he was our dd main carer. He takes her to school in the morning and works from home when she's I'll or there's an inset day. I'm there when she gets home and in the holidays as I work term time only. Flexible working is available whether it's for children or an elderly relative. You just need to explain why you need it.

[Andrewofgg]

justnowords I have the good fortune to be in a team with a manager who in three years had achieved that atmosphere. We all help each other- including the people without dependents and those with them - and the work gets done and we all get by. I have to hope that she and I remain in the same posts till I retire because there are some real disasters I could be working for instead!

[mumto2two]

With my first child, I had the perfect flex arrangement, but that was built on years of trust and very much a two way street. I gave far more than my job (and pay) required, and my conscientionous was very much from a position of wanting to keep the flexible status quo. I travelled more, worked more, there was a gradual shift towards needing more. I had a department of professionals to run, and while I managed to do it well, my child was missing her mum more & more. Our home was basically a stop pit for changing the wheels we constantly had in motion. Everything suffered in the end. And when things notched up a gear, just prior to the arrival of no. 2, I decided to take a break. Fast forward a few years, and we have a child with a long term genetic health condition, that totally prohibits any conscious notion of me ever going back to employment. With no family support on hand and a child who is ill far more frequently than most, there is no way I could commit to any fixed work agenda, and in my line of work, agenda really matters! Yes OP it's a tough one. I like so many others, have so much to offer, but the flexibility we need just often isn't there.

[justnowords]

I have a job nearly like that. I can get away whenever i need to for appts. etc. Relatively flexible working hours, some of our staff are students so hours change every couple of months to accomodate them. I am usually the one who also takes time off with the children if they are sick and i cant get alternative childcare. Cant work from home tho, but work is 5 minute walk away from my home so no need to, and if i really needed the time off, i would just ask for it. No unpaid sick days neither. The downside is that it is low paid. But there are somethings that money cant compensate for. And it shows with the length of service of our employees. Average time of employment for our staff was about 40+ years before the older ones retired. And a good working relationship with nearly everyone in the company. No sniping that so and so was off, or late, or child is sick too much. We all pitch in and do our bit to help each other.

[Conniedescending]

My job is like that. Work from home - can work if kids sick, plenty of leave, flexible hours