To think this is shitty and will need to be addressed (work and Covid-19)

[Whatafustercluck]

DH's senior managers (big multi national) have decided in their wisdom that:

• in the event of school closures, parents will be able to take 2 days off to make alternative care arrangements and after that they will need to take annual leave;

• no wfh allowed because you can't care for dc when trying to work.

In ordinary circumstances I totally agree with the second point. But these are not normal circumstances.

When both parents work, what are they supposed to do of their child is toddler/ pre-school age and childcare settings are also told to close? Are they suggesting that parents turn to elderly at risk grandparents to help out?

It's an engineering firm which is very male dominated too, so I'm wondering whether this is part of an ingrained family unfriendly culture.

If it were me and this actually happened I'd just self isolate for 2 weeks!

It definitely seems planned by someone who has never had to arrange emergency childcare. Or any childcare.

What do you think will happen if the whole country takes 2-4 weeks off work? I don't WFH often because working and childcare are not mutually compatible, a few days off then take annual leave between the two of you seems reasonable, it may well be that his employer will have to tell them to self isolate anyway if I've of your husband's colleagues contracts it.

a few days off then take annual leave between the two of you seems reasonable

For how long though? We don't have indefinite amounts of leave - even between us!

They’re going to have to get a grip. Name and shame... ?

Well Ireland just closed their school, and I will be bringing my child in to work with me.

They are not allowing me to work from home and are not allowing me to take leave as someone needs to be the office

So two days sounds great. I will be bringing my child with me everyday

There is info on here you might find interesting

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51832634

Not everyone has that luxury though Josharcher. I have already earmarked pretty much all my annual leave for stuff.

Whataclusterfuck. If I was him, I'd say I needed to self isolate which should trigger sick pay instead.

You are right, these are not normal circumstances. And forcing you to use up your leave is pretty shitty.

They’re stupid, though. If they do t allow people to WFH, then they’re not working at all. Wouldn’t it be better to have people working, even if they are working with their DC around? I find colleagues at work more of a distraction than the DC when I’m WFH.

There is no right/ reasonable solution. This is unprecedented. I am seeing it from every single side at the moment. It is survival. Businesses do not have masses pots of cash, I am not sure that your ( mine ) family commitments are their priorities ATM. It sounds harsh but true. Maybe some friends can get together and pool children /care ? I don't know ?

You take unpaid parental leave.

I know NHS workers who had to do it over the summer holidays as they had no childcare due to family tragedies.

I do think we need to get out of the mind set of what went before. For the next three months , sure you got your a/l earmarked, but not company no future a/l. I'm not being an asshat, but that is the truth.

When schools close, teachers will be meant to keep providing and marking work and a HUGE amount of them will be doing it with their own children at home with them. This question has never been addressed yet. If you’re not going to pay teachers to do that because they have children with them, they won’t set work...

My workplace have equipped everyone with the ability to work from home. Flexibility will be given around this to maintain essential services. So normally I wouldn't work with my kids here, but if it's either I work with them here or I don't work at all, they would prefer me to try.

Anyone unable to work from home (a colleague lives in a house share with no wifi) special leave will be given, people will not be expected to use their annual leave.

If you are unwell then normal sickness procedure applies.

I think those rules are too strict. My employer is saying in a worst case scenario where schools are shut and most people have to be at home (either self isolating or caring for a dependent) they can and will be flexible to ensure that at least som work is completed.

I think we ( all of us ) have been quite closeted ( protected) , this will not be the case for a few months now , obviously depending what business your in .

Sounds reasonable from an employer's point of view. If the colleges are closed too then there'll be an infinite number of babysitters available or colleagues pool their resources and look after each other's children on a rolling basis.
We all need to be creative.

DH work have said similar although they aren't giving the 2 days.
They have just said that if you have a confirmed case then you can have sick pay, if you aren't confirmed, with a doctors note, then it will be taken from annual leave.

Trouble is WFH and childcare does not mix.

If your child screams out, or your children are fighting, do you then stop work to go sort that out? If so, working is less of a priority despite you being paid to make it your priority between 9-5.

It also sets precedence. Over the summer people will wfh and look after children, because they could due to corona.

Childcare is probably not a priority for some businesses unfortunately. I guess if there are two parents one will have to stay at home. Not sure what single parents are supposed to do though.

How have other countries managed this? Italy seems to have allowed people to go to work but what do they do about childcare? Or do a lot if families still have a parent at home with littlies?

How old are the children? Could you put a packed lunch box in the fridge for them then they could watch tv, play in their rooms, do the school work they have been given........ surely your children can behave themselves when their parent is in the house.

Also my DP has some flexibility in wfh, he can start at 7am and do a couple of hours before the kids get up and he can do a few hours in the evening when I can look after them.

People are going to have to WFH with children at some point though, it’s that or not work at all and if we’re going to keep the country going employers are going to have to be more flexible than usual in these exceptional circumstances.

Technology company so most people are generally equipped to WFH even if they don't usually.

Direction now is that everyone should work from home. If schools are shut (globally) the approach is do your best from home while you look after your children.

Right now I wouldn't think anything if I heard a child in the background. Just that people were continuing to work in difficult circumstances.