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?

If I were you, I would check my attitude before you approach your employer. You are coming off like a petulant child.

if travel is not mentioned in contract or job description the yes absolutely. Any costs incurred as a result of their business needs should be reimbursed

Yep.perhaps people should ask for care for unwell parents.yeah right

I think the OP is asking here - why should I be out of pocket when my employer wants me to travel abroad for 10 days away from my family, for their benefit/on their behalf?

I would ask the same and have a chat with my manager about reimbursement for my costs while I am away at their request.

And for equality, women shouldn't ask because their husbands or DPs should be expected to cover.

Definitely reasonable x

This means you need to travel, I’d suck it up and hope it’s a once off.

if it’s not time for a new job

This. Thank you

Unlikely in most places I would think

. Presumably if you had a gig/theatre tickets etc booked during the week of travel and it was non-refundable you'd get reimbursed for that ?

It's a good job the majority of women DO have children, otherwise there wouldn't be enough of a population to keep paying taxes to look after people when they're old!

If you’re caring for your parent/s and your job wants to to travel for work then I don’t think it would be unreasonable for you to say you can’t go or to say you needed financial support with it. Especially if it’s something you have never done before and isn’t a standard part of your job role.

The childcare bill surly will be paid by both parents so what has it to do with gender pay gap?

OP, as PP pointed out you can’t ask for your employer to pay for a professional to do household duties that you usually do just so that the other person in charge (i.e. your DP) don’t have to inconvenience themselves.

Thank you.

It is not down to the OPs partner to switch around things at home to comply with the OPs employers requests. It shouldn't be a juggling act for working parents.

I always think the employer is taking the mick in these situations but so many comply without discussion or asking questions. Or basically just saying No this doesn't work for me.

Why work over your hours for no pay/reimbursement? Why shouldn't the employment contract be beneficial both ways?

Your contract requires you to do whatever it takes to fulfill your role and you'll potentially incur costs associated with that- travel costs, food costs and yes, childcare costs. So although what they are asking is quite a long trip for you with having a young child, it is within your contract. Your employer should not be responsible for your related costs in the same way as they aren't responsible for your regular childcare costs or your travel costs getting to and from work. Because you've worked in an office for 8 years, this has understandably come out of the blue for you but the potential was always there. It could have happened at any time and could possibly happen again next month and the month after. In which case it may be that it stops being the right role for you at this stage in your life but the responsibility is with you to either adapt to your role or choose to look for a new one.

Did someone upthread call the child's dad 'the OP's unpaid babysitter'!? 🤯

That’s not in any way comparable. Ridiculous comment.

Worth asking. My husband's contract has childcare funded (an ad hoc nanny service) so that he doesn't need to be absent from work when childcare has fallen through. My work allowed me to bring my breastfed baby to a work conference. Times are changing.

Yup, they really did. Welcome to entitled Britain 2024.

It's worth stating that travelling will incur x extra in child care costs, see what they say? Some places do cover this but you need to prove it's additional to your normal costs, ex's place covers dog kennels too.

Or if I'm travelling for work or ill, he can use the nanny service.

No, you are perpetuating that women cannot handle their work contract unless the employer takes on more cost because the women are incapable of sorting out any childcare change-arounds. If you were a man, this would not be a question, so why is it for you? You are right, childcare is NOT mainly the mother's role. It is 50/50 with a DP/DH/SO, so your DH needs to step up to the plate and stop twisting the facts to fit your agenda.

@Littlegoth why is it not comparable? You can’t leave a dog on its own. So you either get someone you know to look aftrt it or pay someone. Exactly as with a child.

Yep.
Ridiculous but not surprising.
I'm currently on an international trip for work and I was asked today how my husband is coping while I'm away. Funnily enough nobody asks him that question when he travels.

A dog isn't a human being.

The reason employers offer to pay for childcare expenses and have policies to cover care of other relatives is because they don't want a discrimination case brought against them.

You get your husband to do it.

honestly this is what marriage and having kids is. You both make compromises in terms of your respective careers to raise your children.

he can do the drop offs and pick ups for that time OR you ask for other help from family/friends.

your childcare costs are your responsibility and your employer should be compensating you adequately in terms of travel Costs and wages to cover the childcare of these trips.