AIBU to think parents should not “work from home” on Sports Day

[OxfordMum2020]

Some parents are going to WFH from the athletics stands on sports day? Is this normal?

Surely you either take the day off as annual leave/unpaid leave or you don’t attend Sports Day?

That’s not ok.
Taking 1-2h mid afternoon but working through lunch is fine for ex. Or blocking off 1h for a personal appointment and staying later un the afternoon.
If they are unavailable for the whole day, they need to take the day off.

this is excessive tbf and I would expect a whole day to be taken as leave or parental leave. I can only be so egalitarian in my approach because me team are freaking awesome and don’t take the piddle

do they need to join and meetings?

personally I think they are taking the piss and think you are a soft touch. WFH sure, but also do your job.

Meh, different people, different jobs. It depends what you do, how senior you are and how you manage workload.

I'm in a senior role and am trusted to manage my time appropriately. As long as I get the work done (and I do), I don't have people looking over my shoulder asking me to clock in and out. I work bloody long hours anyway, routinely work early mornings and into the evening so my employer doesn't begrudge me taking a couple of hours out for school-related stuff once a term or so.

If you're a paramedic, a teacher or work on a construction site it's clearly not possible but a lot of white collar jobs work that way.

If it's a whole day it should have been AL probably but if an otherwise efficient employee takes a couple of quiet hours during the day to do something like this I don't see the problem.

As their manager surely it's up to you to decide whether their proposal is acceptable? Are they allowed to WFH but not be available for any client or team meetings? You, or someone more senior, need to rule on that.

Mill owner right there. Unclench OP 😂😂😂

I would think it’s fairly common for most people kids schools to be closer to where they live than where they work so it can cut down on unpaid time travelling to WFH if you need to attend a school event. What should not be happening is people being paid to “work” while they are actually attending the event if that then means that they can’t perform all of the duties of their role so if your employee can’t do certain parts of their job which are required on that day then annual leave or unpaid leave should have been requested IMO

but they shouldn't expect to be paid for that day if they are not doing the job.

but its not a couple of quiet hours, its the whole workday.

Plenty of jobs are flexible and parents can make up the time later. My job is like that and while I wouldn't actively be working I would likely be checking emails and teams in case someone needed me urgently.

The people defending someone being unavailable from 8:30-16:30 for sports day will be the same ones that come on MN moaning when their employers want them back in the office because people are taking the piss. People run the London marathon in less time than the OP’s staff has said she won’t be available for and I don’t understand why people think it’s acceptable.

but surely you would let whoever manages you know first?

The duration was quite the drip feed so it’s possible they are assuming a couple of hours

Kent. They do various games /activities from 10 -12 but we need to get there 9.15 to set up

lunch all together 12-1

running races over the years 1-3

home 315

You don’t have to go to the whole thing though.

I would want to wfh on sports day, but unless under 2 hours (for which I’d book flex) I would be taking a half day as well.

If you are being present and supporting your child you cannot be working. If you are working, then your child sees you being more interested in your laptop than them.

I know that’s why I said in my post they should have taken AL. But the OP seems to roping this into a broader rant about WFH.

Yeah, no. They still need to meet business needs. If they can rearrange their diary for a long lunch fair enough, especially if they regularly do overtime. This is taking the mick.

Or we could think its an improvement on work life balance on parents being able to attend school events they might not have been able to in the past

It’s disrespectful to their children, but at least they’re there. Not every parent shows up. That said, it’s nothing to do with you and your DC.

Yes and no

no one has to go obviously

but you see kids looking for their parents or no one cheering them on so I’ve shouted their name at times

and yes could leave after lunch but it’s really a whole day thing

How's somebody supposed to work from the sidelines at their kid's sports day?!
They're obviously not going to be 100 per cent focused on both at the same time, are they?!
Not sure how productive you can be with one eye on your laptop/phone/whatever and at the same time be allegedly keeping an eye out for little Timmy in his race.
You're either pretending to be working under the guise of wanting the afternoon off for sports day, or not exactly giving the kid your full attention if you are
YANBU

Presumably these are the OP's colleagues who really won't actually be doing the "working" biut when "working from home." If that is the case, they're monumentally taking the mick. And giving all parents a bad name as shirkers into the mix.

Totally unreasonable of your colleague. Push back. They are not doing their job that day.

That's madness.