WFH with children

[Annie232]

On many threads I hear women pop up and mention how they WFH x number of days and so don't need childcare on x number of days. Incidentally, within my NCT group on discussions on return to work a few of the women have said similar and that they plan to WFH 1/2 days a week and therefore save on childcare. Is this a thing now?

I just find it odd people think it’s ok to have kids in your care while you work.

You wouldn’t bring a baby to the office every day so why have one just because your office is at home

Exactly this! I'm sensing bitterness because some Just can't deliver whilst others can 🤷‍♀️

But there aren’t a lot of jobs where you can dictate your own hours across a 24 hour period. While I appreciate people do this it is incredibly frustrating for those of us who are available during this time. The is inevitably more activity, more phone calls, more emails, more advice meetings during 9 and 5.

people stop calling those who are never available and the work falls to the rest of us.

unfortunately removing wfh is probably the only fair way of managing this - ensuring we are all on an equal footing in work hours. Why should I have to do more because sally or bill have two school runs in the afternoon - or Amy wants to take her baby to the park at 11am?

Why ‘AIBU’?

This annoys me, as working from home has allowed me to keep a senior job after having a child. I am able to drop her off lateish and pick her up at 5.15 and focus on my work during the day. Taking out the commute has allowed this. People taking the piss is going to get the ability to work from home taken away.

I’m a teacher. First lockdown, terrified we’d get covid and give it to my disabled mum who was living with us, I homeschooled my kids (6 yo twins) and worked around that. It was utterly horrendous. Second lockdown I sent them to keyworker provision & decided to let covid do its worse. We all got it and we were lucky in that we were all fine. Nothing on this earth would make me try to wfh with kids in it again. If they were secondary age/responsible y5/6 I’d do it to avoid wraparound care (if my job allowed) but it is impossible to wfh effectively with kids in the home.

It's not a thing, or really shouldn't be. Mine are 9 and 14 and I can work from home for childcare if they're ill or it's an inset day. Even then it only really works because I have practically no calls / meetings. I have a one hour commute so spread work over my normal commuting and working hours with breaks to see to the kids.

Sure, yes it’s exactly that. Anyone who needs childcare to do their job must be a bit shit at it.

What an awful post.

You’re right to be annoyed. I hope you get to carry on wfh.

If you think people are not genuine, then report them.

I think what people need to understand is that everyone's experiences are different.
Some jobs require you to be contactable, in and out of meetings, on calls and some do not. Some jobs require you to be logged in 9-5 and some do not.
It's unfair in the same way life is unfair, some people in the same sector and job as me earn 40k more for taking a job in London. It's not fair when we are doing the same work but that's just how it is!
Although my job is 35 hours per week it is measured in KPIs. You hit your KPI it doesn't matter what else you do. Some weeks you can do that in a day some you have to work much harder for.
Everyone has a different experience, as I've said we've been doing this for 2 1/2 years now. In that time DH has got a promotion and I have had a significant pay rise to 'reflect my efforts'. It works for us but it wouldn't work for others.
So OP the answer is it depends on a whole host of things so don't set your heart on it until things are clearer

More fool any woman working twice as hard for no extra pay. Either I’m a SAHM and my DH can earn the money, or I work and earn a wage. Anyone agreeing to do both childcare and work simultaneously is doing themselves a huge disservice. Any man agreeing to or expecting a woman to do this is a misogynist.

hmmm this thread is interesting. I was thinking when my DD starts school, of asking my employer if they would let me work from home for 2 hours after school pick up one day per week. She’d be 5. Figured I could put on a movie or allow screen time etc without much input from me. But I’m not sure. She very much wants all my attention right now at 3’so it wouldn’t be possible right now. I’m admin based. But I’m scared now to consider it 😯

If you're paid for what you can bring to the table, then you don't generally have a contracted hours jobs. That's a contradiction. The "bitterness" is because people are saying "well, I'm contracted for 40 hours but I only work 10" - probably because we all have colleagues that do that and we are picking up the work they are not doing because they insist it is beneath them/they have done the minimum expected of them.

I am contracted for 40 hours but I can work more quickly than other colleagues. It would be really easy for me to decide that I've done enough and stop and no one would question it. But I don't. Because I think it's massively unprofessional.

@TheNinny Big difference between age 3 and 5. I think afterschool care of one 5yo would be OK when they could chill.

But I think they'd get bored without much interaction so I'd maybe consider 2 days at home, 3 days in afterschool.

Another consideration is what are your plans for holiday cover? If its to use afterschool then it's helpful if they know the other kids and staff.

I often wonder if this is one of the reasons for shit customer services since Covid - ringing companies, banks etc. People are "working" from home to save on childcare.

I have done this recently in a pinch but my children are now KS2 and capable of sitting for 2 hours with devices and minimal supervision. I had to wfh with children at home during the pandemic and it was horrific, they were between reception and y2. Any colleagues with younger children took special leave because you can't be present with children at home and you end up doing a bad job at work and parenting. We have also more recently disciplined someone as they were regularly away from teams or no video in meetings and it was clear they were doing childcare when supposed to be working.

Love your reply!
Too many people deluding themselves that they're doing the right thing and not affecting their kids cognitive and social development on here.

Or some people clearly are deluding themselves to the definition of "contracted hours" and what this would mean in a legal sense at an employment tribunal.
Read the contracts first before assuming it's all about output.

i Work considerably faster than some of those on my team ( I have a extremely good memory so what take sitters often 30 m to find I will remember ) , I’m also a team leader , meaning I need to know what my team members strong points are and their weaknesses . If I conta you work 50% more than what others are able Im being unfair to them and I do nit expect this from them because I know most people could not cope with it . Giving it your all often doesn’t mean work non stop .

@Dinoteeth thanks for your reply. Im full time and she’s currently in nursery/grandparents. However once at school, We can rely on cover for 3 days grandparents/DH shift pattern but it’s the other two I’m stuck for. So I was going to ask employer for wfh 1 day and possibly an early finish the next if I work longer hours on days I’m in. We are rural Scotland so no wraparound or childminders unless I put her in school near where I work 40 -50 mins away which I want to avoid if I can. For holidays between mine and DH annual leave/shift pattern + grandparents I think we can cover.

Meant to add wfh for the wraparound hours, wouldn’t need whole day I don’t think

I think some posters on this thread should probably remember that you can view other threads that they posted under their user name.

Don't go making out working from home whilst caring for a baby/toddler/preschooler is fabulous when your previous posting history suggests otherwise.

OP you need childcare of some sorts for your working hours.

And yet your attention to detail is so poor.

I don't buy a word you say.