To feel my employer are suddenly discriminating because I have a young child?

[Tayo23]

I work for a government dpt where it is not usually commonplace to be able to work from home. On 19th/20th March when the schools closed, I was asked in work if this would impact me in regards to childcare - it does, and I was offered a laptop to work from home which I gratefully took.

At this point all my colleagues (except for a minority shielding or in similar positions) remained in the office every day as there were a lack of laptops for them - it was BAU. I worked remotely from home, with colleagues in the office uploading my (and other remote workers) work. A week later my office closed (a non-critical govt dpt) however I have continued to work from home since then although my colleagues without laptops were not working at all. My partner was furloughed a week or so after my office closed so has been a great help keeping 4yo entertained.

At the end of April my office advised those without laptops must return to the office one day a week on a rota basis to upload, (to maintain social distancing). I was not asked because it was understood I was working from home. Last week they provided everyone in my office (around 80 people) with laptops. I have now been told that because everyone else now has a laptop, I am now too required to work one day a week in the office, and spend the rest of the week working from home.

My partner returns to work next week. I now am in same position as end of March before lockdown re childcare. They are allowing me to take special leave for the one day a week I can’t come into the office, for 4 weeks. After then I have to use annual leave. I have repeatedly stressed I am willing to continue working each day from home. I just simply cannot leave my child at home alone. My partner is unable to get paid leave off and we would struggle without his pay.

AIBU to feel this way, they understood initially and accommodated me which I was extremely grateful for. I have worked each day whilst my colleagues barely have done until now, but now they too have the facilities to work from home, the goalposts have been moved.

I am not happy being told when to take AL when I have not asked for any time off. Do I have a leg to stand on here if I take this higher than my own line manager (who robotically regurgitates things without much compassion or consideration for people’s individual circumstances)

Employers are allowed to dictate when you take your annual leave.
To be honest they sound like they've been more than accommodating throughout this. Like others have said, by the time it comes down to when you would need to start using annual leave nurseries should be open, is there any reason why you can't send your child to a nursery?

and should be take annual leave

It's a common request. Even people without childcare issues are being asked to take annual leave now so they aren't faced with huge numbers of people off later in the year. A lot of people I know are being asked to do this whether they have children or not.

And as PP have pointed out, your employer can dictate when your AL is taken if they provide notice, which they have.

I think my overall point is which seems to be getting lost is -

It feels that when it suited them they were more than happy for me to work 5 days from home (with maybe 5 people uploading in the office), the work has been building up and the remote workers (shielders/ parents) have been largely carrying that weight. Now that they have managed to find the means to get everyone all hands on deck every day, suddenly it no longer suits them that I continue to do what I’ve been doing for months.

I get the feeling that this is nothing to do with discrimination and more because you think you've worked harder than other people and so now deserve not to be on the rota to go into the office?

@Tayo23 yes, it feels very unfair, like they forget that you were carrying the can for them successfully for weeks.

The childcare issue is ridiculous. The nurseries are not open, they should accomodate you until the nurseries are. Not everyone has family/friends they can call on.

Even people without childcare issues are being asked to take annual leave now so they aren't faced with huge numbers of people off later in the year And you can imagine how popular that is when their furloughed colleagues continue to accrue annual leave, extra for 'missed' bank holidays and are not required to use any annual leave up at all.

they should accomodate you until the nurseries are

They practically are as they are offering 4 weeks with one day off per week, special leave and most nurseries are opening by then. Realistically it'll be a few days AL if that.

99ProblemsPlus1

No, I don’t think I ‘deserve’ not to be put on the rota at all. Given the choice I would gladly go in one day a week to the office - it’s a breeze! I simply have no choice. I didn’t have a choice at the end of March when they gave me the laptop, and I am in the same position now.

It does sound a little like you want to have your cake and eat it sorry OP. They’ve accommodated you by letting you wfh and now you want to save all your AL too. This pandemic could go on for a veeeeery long time you know? When do you plan to use your AL?

I’m my area it is unlikely the nurseries/schools will be opening on 1 June. When they are, I am more than happy to go into the office.

And you can imagine how popular that is when their furloughed colleagues continue to accrue annual leave, extra for 'missed' bank holidays and are not required to use any annual leave up at all

People on furlough at my work and many others I know are having their annual leave deducted due to furlough, they certainly aren't accruing further AL or missed bank holidays.

Either way no it's not popular but it's not unique to the OP either and it's something a lot of people are having to deal with. Unfairly? yes possibly but there's a lot of unfairness going on at the moment for lots of different reasons.

But the point is she shouldn’t have to use her annual leave.
They have removed her ability to choose by putting her in this situation. She helped her employers by keeping everything going and they are not being helpful when she is stuck in a situation created by their ridiculous box ticking rota.

Can you take your child into the office with you?

She helped her employers

And her employers have accommodated OP too, quite well it seems and are now continuing to do so for another 4 weeks. You can't expect employers to keep picking up the slack forever. At some point OP and her DP will also have to compromise by taking leave.

And whether you like it or not, employers can tell you to take AL at certain times. All of this talk of shouldn't have to is irrelevant really because they can. Lots of people are having to do things they shouldn't have to do right now.

What do you do when your child is sick? We had two bouts of chicken pox earlier in the year so the options for my DH and I were; annual leave, unpaid dependency leave or going into the office outside of normal working hours eg weekends or evenings. My DH and I shared this between us as they're both of our DC's.
Also why can't you use a critical worker space in a nursery / school for one day a week? The world and his wife are on the list as critical workers. I think you said you're a civil servant?
You need to get out of the it's not fair rut and see that your employers made steps to accommodate you. I imagine that some of your colleagues probably felt it was unfair that you were given a laptop to work from home when they initially had to go into the office. I'm guessing it probably wasn't their choice that the office shut and some of them may have preferred to keep working to keep themselves busy.

All of this 'its not fair' business is pointless. Nothing is fair right now. People are losing part of their salaries, being made redundant, self employed people are unable to access any help. All you're being asked to do is take some annual leave.

My friend is off on annual leave for all of next week, not because she wants to be but because they are being told they have to use some annual leave up now instead of hoarding it for later on. Lots and lots of people are being asked to do this, I don't see why you're any different?

Yes okay we could get into the whole but I shouldn't have to business but there's plenty of people doing things they shouldn't have to do right now like y'know, losing their jobs through no fault of their own or taking 20% pay deductions.

ChibiTotoro

If my child is sick I usually do take my annual leave. However, nobody is sick here in this situation and I’m not asking for time off. I just can’t physically get into the office and am therefore prepared to continue working at home, as it has suited them for me to do so for months.

They’ve been more than accommodating so far I appreciate that. As I’ve said I have felt lucky in comparison to some other employers (dPs for example). But now they’ve move the goalposts and suddenly it doesn’t suit them anymore, even though what we do at home is far the greater task. It is just a box ticking rota. I think they think “well it’s fair that everyone is on it” but was it fair that people were working everyday when most weren’t? It didn’t bother me at all then but now for the sake of being ‘fair’ to my colleagues it doesn’t seem consistent!

I don’t think you are being unreasonable and I don’t understand why so many posters feel like that.

Essentially, you cannot do the office work right now - the employer has said take leave (special and annual) for the days you are supposed to be in the office indefinitely - therefore proving that you’re actually NOT required in the office at all.

Unless there’s not enough work to go around, why does it make more sense to have you not working one day a week rather have you be productive at something else instead?

as it has suited them for me to do so for months

Well unfortunately it doesn't suit them anymore. It's not really for employees to dictate what their employer needs and what it doesn't.

Your job now is being in the office one day a week on a rota. Therefore if you can't do that you'll have to take leave.

If I couldn't go to work for whatever reason, I'd be expected to take leave. They've accomodated so far due to the current situation but they can't be expected to do so indefinitely.

I’m always amazed by these threads on MN.

I think your work is being unfair making you take annual leave now for childcare. Have you not been working for eight weeks when colleagues haven’t?

That sucks

I wonder if other employees have complained that it isn't fair they're expected to shoulder the risk of going in and travelling etc when you're not ? So there is work that needs people to travel in and maybe they're trying to make people feel like everyone's expected to do that equally

Almost everyone I know who is still working has been required to take some annual leave.

I have to say I don’t think wfh while caring for a young child 5 days a week is good for anyone - it’s not good for you, for the child or for your work. You’ll burn out. Take the day a week leave and chill out with your wee one in the garden.

Sounds like you have been accomodated every step of the way.

No discrimination at all. Lots of people have children and are struggling workging from home with the children around.

What days does your partner work? Can you access the office to upload your work on a weekend day when he is at home providing children? An evening or two to cover the same hours? Flexible working?

What is your usual childcare arrangement though? Your child is 4. When they start school who will care for yiur child during holidays and after school.

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

Exactly.

And as I keep saying i am not asking for time off. I would understand being told to take my AL if I was at home without any provisions to work from home and unable to come in. Therefore I literally could not do my job. But I do have the provisions to work from home to do the main part of this job, and am therefore not requiring time off. It’s not just one day a week they want me in and that’s it, it’s one day a week in the office and the rest working at home.