Not paying for childcare this autumn as bills go up

[Essenceandvibes]

I've just had an epiphany.....I absolutely won't be paying a penny for childcare this autumn as bills increase and I won't be made to feel guilty about it either. I can work from home and watch my baby and pick up my 10 year old from school without the assistance of anyone else and if my employer has an issue with it, he can pay an extra £2000 per month post tax to cover the cost of full time help.

Our bills are going to be about £800 a month just electricity and gas alone for our detached 4 bed house, this isn't even thinking about the increase of petrol or groceries.

The mortgage has also gone up a few hundred quid too....childcare and commuting is now a luxury not necessity and I really hope every parent joins me in asking for employers like it or lump it

Shameful the government have let everything get this far, the knock on effects will be huge

Your employer will probably just sack you.

How can you work from home with a baby? That would be a nightmare.

Good luck with that.

How can you do your job and watch your baby at the same time?

Your employer is likely to have in place rules that require you not to be doing childcare during your work hours. Telling them to pay for your childcare is ridiculous.

That said, my kids can both happily be some from school or an hour or two while I carry on working, so I would think your 10 year old would be fine. I sort some snacks and let them watch tv and they are happy.

You can't work from home with a baby. I had a manager who did this one day a week and it was very obvious she wasn't doing any work.

Quite a lot of people managed it during lockdown.

Epiphany...lol

Well judging by the appalling service offered by most organisations nowadays it appears that a lot of people wfh are doing similar.
I assume they have not been sacked so you should be ok op.

Good luck wfh whilst looking after a baby - surely one of those will suffer, either your job or your baby?

I worked from home in lockdown with a 1 year old and honestly it was horrendous.
It took me months to find a balance, having to finish my work once he was in bed, it was unhealthy for us all tbh

Why is the cost of living going up your employers fault , if you can’t afford to live in a 4 bed detached then move to a house you can afford to heat / live in .

Please come back at the end of September and let us know how it's all going.

Prepare to look for another job when you will likely get the sack.

I understand your point, but obviously life doesn't work like that.

Just be prepared to be fired I suppose. How replaceable are you?

I had a co-worker try this and the extent it disrupted her and the team's work ended up taking her pretty far down a capability process, during which she resigned.

What would you do if the new PM decides that we all need to be back in the office full time though?

The cost of living increases arent your employers fault, or your colleagues that may end up having to pick up the slack

Only because they had to, and it was awful for everyone involved!

It's not your employer's fault that costs are going up, and given their own costs will be going up too, why on earth should they accept you minding a baby and working at the same time.

By all means have the ten year old at home.

As one of the many who was forced to WFH and care for a small child in March 2020 - it doesn't work. You will be a bad employee and a bad parent.

I feel sorry for your baby. Its neglectful to WFH with a baby. Poor thing.

No they didn't. They made do as they had to, but there is of course no question that people who were looking after (small) children while working were much less efficient or very stressed. You simply cannot do a good job at work and at childcare at the same time. Also, it's really not ideal for the children (I say this as someone who worked from home with a 2 year old and 6 year old during that time).

I’m not sure how far you will get with the whole ‘the employer can like it or lump it’…

i totally totally agree that more needs to be done with childcare costs, the entire system is breaking people. But having your baby at home whilst you work is just not going to work, for you or your employer. How will you manage work calls if the baby is crying or needs feeding/entertaining? You will end up having no choice but to neglect the needs of your child and your work; you are setting Yourself for failure with this

In my organisation I’d have to refer you to HR if you had children while wfh, you’d not be able to do any work duties until it was resolved. Your childcare and electricity bills are not your employers issue

This doesn't feel like it's your employers fault at all so why are you putting the blame there and expecting them to pick up the slack?

Electricity and gas of £800 a month is extortionate, what are you doing to reduce your usage?

Mortgage bills increasing by several hundred suggest that you have exceeded your fixed term and made the decision to not re-fix, if you can't afford then you over extended yourself.

4 bed detached house is a luxury, can you downsize to something you can afford?

If your utilities are £800 then you must live in a mansion - for comparison my 4 bed is £125 a month currently rising to £140 next month. You need childcare if you are working

You’ll be sacked and the job given to a childfree person and then you’ll complain companies don’t support working parents.

Well it’s hardly an epiphany is it? But either way, your employer almost certainly has rules in place which will prevent you doing this and you’ll end up without a job. So good luck with that, I doubt many will be joining you.