Page 3 | Is this reasonable while WFH?

Theultracheese · 2025-06-04T16:21:09+00:00

The situation is that there’s 10 of us in a team, we log in to a phone system but dont get many calls at all. Probably take about 5 calls each on average per day. If you usually have childcare during half term but your child minder had to cancel on Friday, meaning you were working from home with a child running around and shouting etc, would it be reasonable to not log in to the phones that day so that you don’t have to take calls with screaming kids in the background?

K0OLA1D · 04/06/2025 19:38

Shadesofscarlett · 04/06/2025 18:59

well it would be any child needing childcare but also there are also gdpr issues. we have to work away from others and not overheard etc.

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Ah fair enough. I don't really work with anything confidential.

BusMumsHoliday · 04/06/2025 19:39

It's absolutely a reverse.

The reasonable thing to do would have been to offer your manager the choice. "I can't take calls because of the noise but I can keep on top of emails/catch up in the be evening. Or, as I can't do all my duties, I can take the day off as last minute annual leave. Which would you prefer?"

Wolfcub · 04/06/2025 19:40

Sirzy · 04/06/2025 17:22

You would be unreasonable to be working with no childcare. You need to find an alternative or take a day off work

^ this. Work is work, not paid childcare

AliBaliBee1234 · 04/06/2025 19:40

Unusualllly · 04/06/2025 17:30

I honestly can't image how wonderful it must be if you can do your job whilst also looking after children! It must be so great, I've never had a job that you could just pause work to wipe a bum or sort a snack or stop a fight between kids. I'm jealous and also can't believe folk are being paid for a job that they can do half arsed!

Imagine a nurse taking their kids round the ward with them, a check out person with a baby bouncing on their knee, a scientist with kids running around the lab.

Plenty of people do their job half arsed, children or not. The amount of chatting that goes on in a workplace probably takes up far more time.

AliBaliBee1234 · 04/06/2025 19:42

How on earth do you provide mandatory proof of childcare? My husband has days off during the week or he is with his grandparents....

RickiRaccoon · 04/06/2025 20:09

Talk to your manager. My work's pretty understanding of childcare falling through. I usually tell my manager that I'll see how I go and maybe get a half day's work done and put in for half a day's leave after. Mine is the kind of work that stalls if you take a day off and we have timeframes to meet so it's better if I can log on intermittently to push it along than just leave it undone for a day.

Missing part of your duty isn't ideal but it sounds like a small part for one day.

boxtop · 04/06/2025 20:15

I'm much slacker than most people on here and even I don't think this is OK without approving it first.

If you can't do the phones, can you really and truly do everything else? Surely this is more a case of "I'm going to have to take half a day off - I should still be able to keep an eye on my inbox but that's about it"

ShesTheAlbatross · 04/06/2025 21:04

Jux · 04/06/2025 18:39

Can you limit your 'taking calls' time to a couple of hours a day, when the children are doing something absorbing, like watching a film?

It sounds unbelievable these days, but when my brothers and I had to be quiet for an hour or two, we were perfectly capable of being so. That from a very young age, I'd've been maybe 5 or 6, and my Bro Number 2 was 2 years younger. Perhaps we were just used to being quiet in Church every Sunday?

Yes I think from school age, most children should be able to do it (not if there are additional needs that make it harder obviously). I’ve had to wfh with my DD there. She was in reception and there was an issue with the school fire alarm - it was just on and they couldn’t switch it off, so 10 mins before the start of school we find out school is closed. No time to find any other childcare, so she stayed home with me. She watched far more tv than I’d allow on any other day, but basically it was fine, and she was capable of being quiet for a bit when necessary. My manager was aware and fine with it as a one off, and I had the email from the school if he’d wanted to check that this was a legitimate, last minute issue that I couldn’t do anything about.

It would have been far more inconvenient to my manager for me to be completely off that day and do no work, than to be a bit less productive & responsive during the day, and make up some time in the evening.

ShesTheAlbatross · 04/06/2025 21:11

Loadsapandas · 04/06/2025 19:01

I wonder if men are being asked to produce mandatory proof of childcare?

What does that even look like if a SAHP or relative is looking after said child?

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Yeah I couldn’t provide proof of childcare every day of the week. My youngest is in nursery 3 days a week, but spends two days with my in laws. I couldn’t prove that though, I guess I could ask them to sign something.

On the issue of men, a friend of mine used to have her toddler looked after by her mother a couple of days a week. But the mother looked after the toddler at my friend’s house (obviously took him out etc, but was based at the house). Her manager wasn’t happy about this, said her child needed to actually be out of the house if she was wfh. He backed down when it was pointed out that a few of her male colleagues had toddlers and SAHWs who they weren’t expected to kick out of the house when working from home.

K0OLA1D · 04/06/2025 21:22

ShesTheAlbatross · 04/06/2025 21:11

Yeah I couldn’t provide proof of childcare every day of the week. My youngest is in nursery 3 days a week, but spends two days with my in laws. I couldn’t prove that though, I guess I could ask them to sign something.

On the issue of men, a friend of mine used to have her toddler looked after by her mother a couple of days a week. But the mother looked after the toddler at my friend’s house (obviously took him out etc, but was based at the house). Her manager wasn’t happy about this, said her child needed to actually be out of the house if she was wfh. He backed down when it was pointed out that a few of her male colleagues had toddlers and SAHWs who they weren’t expected to kick out of the house when working from home.

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What a prick I bet he felt.

Renabrook · 04/06/2025 21:46

So othrg people have to take calls for you because you dont have childcare, if everyone is fine with it that is up to them

But if you can't take calls how much other work can you do with children around? Basically you want to be paid the same for less work?

Moonlightexpress · 05/06/2025 09:05

Unusualllly · 04/06/2025 17:30

I honestly can't image how wonderful it must be if you can do your job whilst also looking after children! It must be so great, I've never had a job that you could just pause work to wipe a bum or sort a snack or stop a fight between kids. I'm jealous and also can't believe folk are being paid for a job that they can do half arsed!

Imagine a nurse taking their kids round the ward with them, a check out person with a baby bouncing on their knee, a scientist with kids running around the lab.

But if you could and had the opportunity and your child minder let you down you would or you would consider it an option if it was possible. Parents who work have a responsibility to their kids , and op has a child minder who let her down, no fault. No wrong doing on anyone's part.. its just life. Some understand if its possible (and it sounds like it might be as a one off) is a good thing. Op just needs to talk to her boss and get the ok not mumsnet really.