To think work don't have a clue?

[Rosebel]

Once again forced to take time off work because my son has been in contact with a Covid case at nursery.
Well aware the rules are changing for schools and really hope it's the same for nurseries.
I can't WFH and nor can my husband. I'm so pissed off with work who seem to think I should have back up childcare in place, even though I literally have no family to help and the fact my son is meant to be isolating so shouldn't be mixing anyway.
I try to work as much as I can (roughly 4 hours before DH has to leave for work) and we split leave fairly evenly so it's not always me who's off.
But I still get nagged and bitched at by work as to why I have to take time off (even though they know he's only 1).
Maybe I'm being unreasonable but I have a suspicion that my manager and team leaders (all male) don't have a fucking clue because they don't deal with the kids when they are sick. They expect their partner to do it and then seem to expect the same from their team members partners.
I'm actually on the verge of quitting because I'm sick to death of works attitude.
I'm trying my absolute best but if nursery says he has to isolate I have to look after him 50%of the time because that's what being partners in parenting is about.
Does everyone else get this at work? AIBU to mentally tell them to fuck off when they are giving me a hard time?

Well they've just announced the need for kids to isolate as a close contact is stopping in August. Fingers crossed you don't need any more time off before then.

If he needs to isolate he shouldn't be seeing ANYONE outside of your household so who do they expect to look after him? You're already doing a 50/50 split with DH which seems fair.

They can't expect you to break the law and put lives at risk so they're not inconvenienced.

Might be worth looking for another thing as I'm a single mum so need to cover 100% and my employer has been very understanding and accommodating

Including this week I've had 5 and 1/2 days off.

That doesn't seem a lot tbh, unless you've only been back a couple of months. Even in non-pandemic years, a toddler picks up loads of bugs and needs a parent to take time off.

What's the back up for a child who isn't allowed to leave the house or have contact with anyone he doesn't live with? I'll wait.

Oh come on! The solution is easy! All the Op has to do is invent a time machine, go back 17 years, get her former self to have unprotected sex and then she will have a handy live in 16 year old babysitter today.

Actually, if she has a time machine, she doesn’t need to bother with all the shagging and could instead just win £50m on the lottery and get herself team of live in nannies.

Or, I guess, she could just prevent the pandemic completely.

Some people just don’t have a “can do” attitude…….

I haven't read every comment here, but I definitely don't think you should quit your job, unless you really hate your job in other ways. If you end up dismissed you would have an excellent case for wrongful dismissal (mind you I'm not a lawyer)

I've worked throughout but been off isolating a few times and my son has poor health so was unwell then needed emergency surgery. My work has been nothing but supportive. Quit!

I can't WFH and nor can my husband. I'm so pissed off with work who seem to think I should have back up childcare in place, even though I literally have no family to help and the fact my son is meant to be isolating so shouldn't be mixing anyway.

If i employed someone with a small child i would expect them to have watertight backup for childcare issues in place. Your work simply don't have to care that you are not organised enough to work when you are supposed to. Harsh? sure. But it is reality.

Having said that - isolating is different, so they'll just have to suck it up. They don'T have to be happy about it, though.

It's nothing to do with not being organised. He's got to isolate because of Covid. He's isolating as in no one from outside the house can look after him. Or shall I just leave my one year old on his own?

And I don't expect them to be happy. I know its rubbish for them but if it's ending in August hopefully this will be the last time.

@Brefugee

I can't WFH and nor can my husband. I'm so pissed off with work who seem to think I should have back up childcare in place, even though I literally have no family to help and the fact my son is meant to be isolating so shouldn't be mixing anyway.

If i employed someone with a small child i would expect them to have watertight backup for childcare issues in place. Your work simply don't have to care that you are not organised enough to work when you are supposed to. Harsh? sure. But it is reality.

This is depressing. Whenever I read posts like this, I feel grateful that my employer doesn't think or behave this way.

@sweeneytoddsrazor

It's not a great situation but is it really up to your work to keep accommodating time off. They have a business to run as well. You can't expect them to be very happy about it.

Why do businesses exist?

To serve a human community. They're not some sort of supernatural entity with no relationship to the human community in which it operates.

That means being able to cope with human employees with normal human needs and commitments. If a business can't do that then it should close.

Without that community, the business can't exist.

Is it a large enough employer that you have a hr department? Do they have a care of dependents policy? Has it been updated in relation to covid?

If the answer to all of the above is a resounding no, then it might be worth moving to a structured employer as the current set up isn't working for you.

If i employed someone with a small child i would expect them to have watertight backup for childcare issues in place. Your work simply don't have to care that you are not organised enough to work when you are supposed to. Harsh? sure. But it is reality.

Yeh, totally. If people can't come up with a childcare plan to account for a pandemic, all nurseries being off-limits because of said pandemic, all childminders being off-limits because of said pandemic, family and friends being unable to step in because of said pandemic, then sure they totally deserve to be sacked for not being organised enough to build their own isolated society without covid where their child could still use childcare options a, b, c, d, and e that they had before covid.

I mean, really, if you're not prepared to build a new civilisation on a deserted island free of covid just so that you can send your child to nursery then what kind of shit employee are you really!

You said you can't work from home but that you do as much as you can work-wise before DH goes to work. I'm confused by this?

@user62183286325986

If i employed someone with a small child i would expect them to have watertight backup for childcare issues in place. Your work simply don't have to care that you are not organised enough to work when you are supposed to. Harsh? sure. But it is reality.

Yeh, totally. If people can't come up with a childcare plan to account for a pandemic, all nurseries being off-limits because of said pandemic, all childminders being off-limits because of said pandemic, family and friends being unable to step in because of said pandemic, then sure they totally deserve to be sacked for not being organised enough to build their own isolated society without covid where their child could still use childcare options a, b, c, d, and e that they had before covid.

I mean, really, if you're not prepared to build a new civilisation on a deserted island free of covid just so that you can send your child to nursery then what kind of shit employee are you really!

@motogogo

Why should your workplace pick up the slack though? They are paying you fulfill a contract, you can't. Back up childcare isn't exclusive to covid.

Being understanding to take emergency leave for the first day is right but you need a plan b, all working parents do.

Which bit of ‘isolate’ do people not understand? OP, when you take time off is it unpaid?

@Brefugee

I can't WFH and nor can my husband. I'm so pissed off with work who seem to think I should have back up childcare in place, even though I literally have no family to help and the fact my son is meant to be isolating so shouldn't be mixing anyway.

If i employed someone with a small child i would expect them to have watertight backup for childcare issues in place. Your work simply don't have to care that you are not organised enough to work when you are supposed to. Harsh? sure. But it is reality.

🤦

To anyone saying that water-tight childcare should be in place, do you not understand that Covid has thrown everything upside down in regards to childcare!?

Pre-Covid we were lucky enough to call up grandparents if a child got ill.

Last week, when our child-spiked a fever we had to call up grandparents to the school cancel a planned day they were going to visit while we worked and spend a morning rushing about getting pcr tests.

The point the op is making is there is absolutely no control on her part if a unexpected nursery/school closures and her family is forced to isolate but she is having to take stick for it from her employers. For young children, even if parents aren’t legally require to isolate, supervising an isolating child means that practically the parents (or parent if a single parent household) will need to isolate with them at all times.

I think this thread is showing how many young children are being left with 'childcare' outside of their household when they're meant to be isolating! 🤦‍♀️

I can completely understand why employers aren't happy about people having time off but really what other choice is there? I'm not working this week as DD is isolating, I know my boss won't be happy and will have had a good moan, because it's hard to get cover- but there's nothing anyone can do about it!

@EugeniaGrace

To anyone saying that water-tight childcare should be in place, do you not understand that Covid has thrown everything upside down in regards to childcare!?

Pre-Covid we were lucky enough to call up grandparents if a child got ill.

Last week, when our child-spiked a fever we had to call up grandparents to the school cancel a planned day they were going to visit while we worked and spend a morning rushing about getting pcr tests.

The point the op is making is there is absolutely no control on her part if a unexpected nursery/school closures and her family is forced to isolate but she is having to take stick for it from her employers. For young children, even if parents aren’t legally require to isolate, supervising an isolating child means that practically the parents (or parent if a single parent household) will need to isolate with them at all times.

Yes it's exactly this. I know it's annoying for work and I understand that but there's nothing I can do, except share the care with my husband as we already do. My manager telling me I'm letting the team and our customers down makes me feel shit even though it's outside my control.

@girlmom21

You said you can't work from home but that you do as much as you can work-wise before DH goes to work. I'm confused by this?

I generally start work at 3 in the morning so I work until 7 then dash home so he can get to work for 7:30.

Yes it's unpaid.

Bloody hell some of these responses are making me want to scream….not much you can do in a pandemic

🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I generally start work at 3 in the morning so I work until 7 then dash home so he can get to work for 7:30.

Wow. I can't believe you feel you need to do this and that they're still unhappy with you. Get a new job.