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?

Doubt many would get away with that for very long. Older children and after school possible

It literally doesn’t matter what job she does. Even sitting texting on your phone for 3 hours a day and ignoring your toddler would make you a sub par parent.
Both need your attention, if you’re working you aren’t giving your child attention, if you are giving your child attention you can’t be focused on work.

I refuse to believe you work a genuine senior position with no childcare and work at home alone with a baby.

When people post this on her it usually turns out they work for family and don’t have set deadlines as such which is hardly comparable, or another adult around who is available to take the baby which means they are looking after baby not you.

Agree with this.

Can't see it working with older babies and toddlers/pre schoolers. I could see how I'd got school age kids it could work.
Suppose also depends on your job. If u don't need to be on meetings or logged on as such then you could make up time in evenings.
Perhaps it means more women can work that couldn't before

I have a very flexible and family friendly employer. We are not allowed to provide childcare while working from home routinely. Ok if child is ill but then you would only be doing/reallocating the tasks that cannot wait as everyone knows you are not able to work fully.

Wfh isn't possible with a young child. Not fair on child, collegues or employer.

Has your employer approved this?

I don't think there is a single answer. The odd day due to inset, illness, no childminder is fine and I'm happy for people to juggle but increasingly I get told people can't go out to complete core tasks of their job because the children need picking up or its half term.
I understand child care is expensive but we give very generous leave and salaries aren't too awful for public sector but a sense of entitlement that is they feel os acceptable because of recruitment difficulties means we are a bit stumped and proving children aren't being looked after in another way is fraught with difficulties.
It is also job dependent.

I have a 21 month DD.

I WFH with her contracted 25 hours a week (5 hours a day). Wednesday she has child care and Thursday she is at grandmas until afternoon so if I need to go on location or want to get out I go into work on a Wednesday.

Its not easy WFH with a toddler but my job is quite flexible and not very full on so she’s generally able to entertain herself for 15 minute intervals while I check emails/make calls etc. then we play together/have a snack/read a book for 10 minutes. Then back to work for 15 and so on. After lunch she has a long nap usually until 4. So I can get a lot done in those hours.

I do truly believe this only works for me because my job is so ad hoc. Some day I get 5 emails. Paying for child care is worth it. Maybe even if they do a shorter day like 9-2

But it does matter.

I don’t ignore my baby and yet WFH with her here.

Not everyone works in dated, old fashioned jobs where you have to be doing anything particularly for hours on end.

I work for one of the largest FMCG companies in the world, I work across multiple time zones and still manage to give DD all the attention she needs as actual work is usually done within 2-3 hours a day. Which covers her nap schedule (or the odd call once DH is home)

My work is benchmarked on performance, no one cares if I’m not online the whole day, as I said my workplace is aware of DD being at home and have 0 issue with it (considering it took them 14 months to recruit for my role they would be silly to get funny about it)

I can't even go to the loo whilst my one year old is about, never mind working. It would be unsafe, surely? Young children get themselves into everything and is potentially dangerous if you are not keeping an eye on them!

My older child is different and independent so no issues there.

My one year old is in nursery when I work from home so I can actually work 🙃

Your employer does know you have had a baby don't they? Are you going to lie to them or tell them baby is at home? They will figure it out very quickly so I would not recommend lying.

You either look after your baby properly or do your job properly, you can’t do both.

Depends on age.

I once had to WFH when my youngest was 18 months - had a very important call - my child screaming for me and climbing all over me. Thankfully this was before video calls!

Our contract state we need to have suitable childcare in place. During covid accepted but not now.

My daughter went back to breakfast club and a couple days after school club as soon as it reopened- wanted to keep the routine in place for all of us! Also, if we suddenly asked back in the office I don’t have to scramble for care!

No way can you do it with a baby/toddler. It's unfair on your employer, your colleagues and your child. An older child yes maybe, I have collected my 7 year old and then worked for a couple of hours while she amuses herself. Probably wouldn't do it all day if I didn't have to as would be tedious for her.

I work in the public sector and they’re great at flexibility in all ways, but there is a hard line on this - homeworkers MUST have childcare. Older children coming in after school wouldn’t be a worry, but pre-school and primary age just wouldn’t be possible.

Managers will quickly be able to spot those people trying to juggle anyway, given the impossibility of delivering full time outputs while actually caring at the same time.

Does your employer have a pol it on this? Mine does. Wfh is not a substitute for childcare and people should make suitable arrangements.

I suppose it depends on the nature of your work and your employer. But in my work there is no way you could leave a teams meeting or draft papers to very demanding deadlines or take calls with clients while caring for a small child.

I do worry that it is mainly women who seem to be trying to do this - work standards will inevitably slip as people on this situation cannot be diving their work 100%.

As a manager, I'd not be happy with someone working a full day with a small child at home. Fair enough the odd time if child is ill, or popping out for drop off/pick up but it's not appropriate as a regular thing. I don't think it's fair to your employer or your child.

Agree with @KweenieBeanz too

So your situation doesn’t apply. If you do 2 hours work a day you aren’t working full time from home with a baby around.
And now it comes out that your work is also done when your DH is at home to look after her. So you aren’t working from home with her then either as another adult is present and looking after the child.

We would get fired. Simple. They make exceptions if your child is poorly, but babies on calls, babies screaming in the background, babies being fed is a no-no. At 9months the child could be crawling. How can you manage a crawling child, who requires supervision and feeding, whilst working at the same time?

Most employment contracts stage you can use WFH in place of childcare.
I have some days WFH and don't have my children here other than may 30 mins at the end of my working day. It's not fair or safe for the child and takes the piss out of your employer and colleagues

When my oldest was small, I had a very nice compromise going: he went to a childminder from 8 to 12-30 for full-on activities, came back to me for lunch and then slept solidly for 2 to 3 hours.

Then I had a second child. Oh god.

There is no way unless your baby is very chilled and doesn't want any interaction from you at all while you're working.
There is no way I could have done that, my DD is now 15 months old and she does some independent play on her own but she likes to interact with me and I'd feel awful if I had to ignore her or my job because there is no way that it would work.

@IneedcoffeeinanIV tbh, I really don't know how this will work. At 9 months my DD was going through a big separation anxiety phase and I couldn't leave the room without her crying for me. There is definitely no way I could have worked and looked after her.
The problem you'll have if it doesn't work is that you may struggle to find childcare at such short notice.
Also, check how your employer feels about you looking after your child while you should be working. Most employers will not allow it except in emergency circumstances

@Annie232 Working from home means just that. Working. All that is different from being in the office is your location.

Unless your employer allows flexible working during the day, and you can make up the 7 or so hours solid work you should have been doing, then you will not succeed at WFH and childcare together.

Sorry that should be *can't use WFH in place of childcare