To take my 2 year old to work tomorrow?

[IceCreamMum]

I’m a single mum and I don’t have any other choice as the childcare I had arranged for tomorrow has just fallen through now. I don’t know how my boss will react to me just turning up with DD, I can’t ask him as he’s not answering his phone and he won’t see my email until tomorrow morning when it will be too late anyway. I’m a member of senior management (Head of Department at a Zoo) and unfortunately I can’t work from home tomorrow, I have to be on the site tomorrow one way or another due to work commitments. Would I be unreasonable to take DD to work with me tomorrow? I don’t have any other option whatsoever and I also don’t have anyone else that I can ask for childcare this late either.

@fitzwilliamdarcy I think it's sexism but I don't just think it's sexism about who they think will be better at looking after their baby.

I think it's also sexism about who will be more likely to be criminally dangerous to the child. This is born out by the statistics of males vs females who commit these types of crimes and also why in my opinion the vast majority of people would be much much less likely to hire a male nanny or baby sitter than a female one. It's about reducing the risk to your child, not just who you think will be better at it. Who carries the smaller risk of actively harming your child.

Agree it's incredibly sexist though.

What did you do in the end OP?

You 'can't take emergency leave'?

Yes you can. That's what 'emergency' means. If you had to take your child to hospital or a family member had died or your house burnt down, you could take emergency leave. You can therefore take it when you have no other means of caring for your toddler.

Don't take a two-year-old to work with you unless you have permission from your boss first, even if that means only finding out in the morning. Don't just rock up with a toddler. Especially for an important meeting.

What would happen if you had an emergency? Isn’t this an emergency?

I empathise with your last minute lack of childcare but YABU in expecting to bring your son into work. How can you possibly work with a 2 year old?????
Also, what about insurance etc. It simply won't work.
You can email your boss and explain situation, that's all you can do which is entirely reasonable given the circumstances

Disagree! What has gone wrong is when people state that they can work and care for their children also. It's not about being intolerant; it's about acknowledging that caring for children is a FT job in itself ( even good ones😁)
My experience of looking after young children ( I am a parent and GP) is that you don't have time for a hot cup of tea, let alone 'Work'. I know of people who WFH with babies/young children without any childcare provision, Come on !
That's a topic for another thread

Oh it certainly does, DD1 teaches maths to a kid who identifies as a Sheep, i keep suggesting she takes our collie in

😂

Why not? They are trained childcare professionals, and will be DBS checked. Your colleague will be neither, and is far riskier.

Ask one of the nursery workers if they can childmind for you? When mine were at nursery the staff often did as hoc babysitting in the evening

I thought perfect....put her in with the monkeys, or maybe with the wolves....I hear they raise kids at times. You are being ridiculous.....if I was your boss I would hit the roof.

This. It's the hit by a bus scenario. Work life always goes on with or without you if you're employed. That said only you know how your colleagues/boss will react if you bring your daughter along so you've got to make that judgment call.

Can you call your boss in the morning and say you’re running late because your childcare fell through last minute and ask if you can’t get anyone could you bring her in. Your boss is more likely to be pissed if you just turn up with her rather than if you ask

The thing is, it's only an emergency because of lack of preparedness. As an employer, I would expect an employee to have Plan B, C and D in place should Plan A fail.

Kids should be acclimated to a variety of sitters before a problem situation arises.

I'm glad you're not my employer! And I'm glad my director has kids and lives in the real world.

Most of us would be temporarily screwed if our nursery closed down without notice. It happens so seldom that training in a network of backup childminders and babysitters, not to mention getting our child acclimated to options B, C and D, would not be a good use of our limited resources.

Of course you can't take your child to work.
It's a breach of Health & Safety regs, & I'd expect a zoo to be pretty hot on H& S.
It will also probably invalidate their insurance.

How can you work & look after a 2 yo? You can't so it's extremely unreasonable of you yo take her in.

It will have to be emergency leave

My guess would be so many staff are ill they can't make their legal ratios. I've heard of parents being turned away at drop off because too many staff members have called in sick that morning

jeez 🙄

😂😂😂

Do a sicky

I agree with this. Only the OP knows whether her work environment is a) safe for a small child to be in and b) that the child will be adequately supervised. She had a willing colleague able to watch her daughter for the meeting.

My husband once has to take our then 11 month old to work with him in similar circumstances (I was working abroad for the week and my mum who is our usual back-up was on holiday). He obviously cleared it with his superior, who said he would rather him be in with the baby (who sat happily on his colleague's lap while he sorted a meeting and did not disturb the day) rather than have to rearrange everything. Life happens, and single parents do not have it easy.