Asking employer to cover childcare costs

[Totupthenumberspls]

I’ve been asked to go on a business trip for a week, is it unreasonable to ask the company to pay the incremental childcare costs?

The OP needs to articulate why she is incurring extra childcare expenses because of the trip. If I was her manager I would ask her to explain if she had explored other avenues first - like I dunno - seeing if the children's father could manage while she was away.

If your contract says occasional travel may be required, and you signed it, I can’t see how you’ve got a leg to stand on expecting to work to pay for it. You can ask, but they can also say no.

She said potential travel was in her contract. She signed it, it's part of what can be expected of her.

My DH travels a lot. His employer gives him days off in lieu to make up for any weekend or other travel. They pay food and other expenses he incurs during his travel. At no time is it their responsibility to cover home expenses for his family. That's just part of having a family.

@Ginmonkeyagain pretend I’m single then if that’s your vibe

I am going to go against the grain here.
I am a CEO and in my career have frequently travelled across the country and the world. .My hours are long and irregular
The vast majority of my additional childcare has been picked up by paid care, family and my DH but I have occasionally asked the companies I have worked for to sign off wrap around childcare as expenses.
It's never been rejected and I have done the same for others who have worked for me.
It really hasn't impacted my career and u don't think it's unreasonable request for long travel trips especially when it's not the norm

No blame anywhere, all these posts are in response to your initial posts not wanting the inconvenience of asking him but instead wanting your company to pay up.
Just get your partner to do it.......
This is simply me disagreeing with you on an am I being unreasonable chat, surely not much of a surprise when some think you are and offer an alternative view you may not like.
Anyway, it seems the toys are out the pram I'll bow out now i don't want to engage in a bun fight I've offer a valid opinion you can disregard it if you wish.

It's not the employers responsibility to cover your personal living arrangements.

If it is a requirement of the job, yes. If you are required to use your car for business purposes, they will cover expenses. If you are required to commute from a distance, they will cover it. Business purposes. Having children isn't a business purpose. Moving 200 miles away isn't a business purpose. These are personal choices.

They didn’t force you to have children, and if you didn’t like that part of your contract you shouldn’t have signed it.

I think you need to ask yourself op...what would the conversation be if your dh went on a business trip? Would the default be him asking his company to cover his 50/% of childcare whilst he's away?
Or would he mention it to you, then you'd scurry around trying to work out how to cover his 50% and it not crossing your mind that his company would be the go to?

@DinnaeFashYersel if the employer wants OP to go on a trip, it’s up to them to pay for it. OP wouldn’t pay £300 if she didn’t go to away for 10 days, so I think the employer should cover it. They’ll be paying to feed her, won’t they? What’s the difference?

Why are so many people focusing on my DP? This isn’t about him.
Im amazed so many people think it’s ok for my employer to request I go to the back and beyond of somewhere like Chad and pay for the inconvenience for 10 days

Having thought about this, there are any number of home related costs that might be incurred when someone has to travel for work, dog walkers, a taxi to get a teen to ask activity, my husband orders more takeaways when I'm away because there's not time to work, look after DD and pony, and shop and cook. We also pay the stable yard staff to do some of the jobs with our daughter's pony because time is pressed when DH flying solo. Childcare isn't special in this respect I don't think. When I'm away, we have to make arrangements for things to run smoothly in my absence, some of them cost money, some of them involve DH adjusting his plans. I don't think childcare is any different at all.

I really can't imagine my line reports asking me if they could claim expenses for a dog walker because they've been asked to come into the office for a meeting. Where would you draw the line?

If you don't want to make the sacrifice, don't go. Say no. Easy.

I cover for my DH when he travels, not his employer. The one time I have travelled for business, my DH covered for me by taking time off or working at home.

Actually, he's just said no to a short business trip himself due to family needs.

Travel means working away from your designated place of work (specified in your contract). Your office is in London, they ask you to go to Manchester at 10am and come back at 5pm, that's travel. It doesn't mean they can send you away for days and you have to comply.

WGAF what someone else would do?

OP should ask...

.

@Deliaskis all those other things are covered. The sole difference in me not being here is nursery drop off/pick ups.

For many occupations travel means going away for a few days either to another city or another country. It's not uncommon.

If your DP won't step up, do you have any family or friends or neighbours or babysitters who would be happy to do this for you, paid or unpaid?

My sole point is that I don’t see why I should be out of pocket for business purposes which are not a routine matter.

I'm starting to think you're being deliberately obtuse tbh.

You're out of pocket because it's your child and your expense to cover. Quite why you think that's your employers problem is beyond me.

I also dont see why the OP is getting a pasting. In the olden days, mr man would work as he pleased, safe in the knowledge that wifey was at home to mop up all the childcare/housework/admin that needed doing, amd if not granny was just around the corner.

That world has gone. Now both parents are likely to work so getting to work and ensuring the kids are looked after is likely to be a very fine balance of both parents doing what they can around their work schedule, some paid childcare and a bit of informal family/friends. Disrupting this balance because work needs change is a total pain in the arse.

My work paid for my childcare expenses because my partner had no option but to work. However, had he not been working those weekends, the reality for him would have been working 4 long days, in a v senior job. Having to call in favours for pick up and drop off, and then having the kids by himself all weekend, several times in a short period of time. We both have busy periods in work, where we have to drop a few family things, but we then make it up to eachother. I don't think i could have made this stint back to him without breaking myself.

So, my work paid for someone else's labour to make up for my absence, but had hr not been working my partners labour to make up for my absence would have just been expected.

I agree that it's common, but my point was that this clause in the contract does not mean that OP has agreed to all and any travel conditions and just has to suck it up.

Yes I'm sure they are for you. It was the broader point that essentially home related ad hoc expenses are not covered when somebody travels for business. Childcare is no different to the other things, and it is the responsibility of the travelling person and partner to make whatever arrangements are necessary at home.

Travel means working away from your designated place of work (specified in your contract). Your office is in London, they ask you to go to Manchester at 10am and come back at 5pm, that's travel. It doesn't mean they can send you away for days and you have to comply.

In most workplaces it means both.