What will your work do if work places are open but schools aren’t?

[gingajewel]

Just wondering if work places re-open and schools don’t what you’re work place will suggest? Do you work somewhere where you will be able to continue to wfh for a few weeks? Will you have to take parental leave or annual leave?
I have no clue about my employers, currently wfh but I don’t think they are too keen on it!

@TrustTheGeneGenie exactly !

Mine is open, and has been all along. luckily we can work from hime, but its a killer to do with small kids

@Sunshineandalltherainbows that’s interesting. It would be a logistical nightmare for me if our school did something like that. The school round trip takes me 40min. I would literally be back an hour to have to go and pick up again! I’m hoping ours decide to go with alternate days. We don’t have big class rooms and only one form entry so not much space to spread the children out so I imagine some sort of dividing the class up will need to be done!

@bigchris I know it’s so difficult to get it right. We’ve had reports of a 9 y o being left to walk the streets as mum has had enough a member of staff come to gate to pick him up each day 😰

on what grounds though? You can have parental leave? So how could they just sack you? For what?!

Absence without leave? Dismissal offence.

Parental leave is something you need to request in writing with a minimum of 21 days’ notice and an employer can defer it by six month.

Childcare issues are not an employers problem. If you are told to be in the office and you can’t, with no alternative (holiday, unpaid leave etc) agreed then it could be straight down a formal disciplinary route whether you have been at the company for more than two years or not.

I agree, yep schools aren’t childcare but my children are there every day therefore I go to work for the hours (and before and after) they are at school! As they are there every day it enables me to work! No they are not childcare but yes they are there everyday!

If we need to be off for any reason concerning our children, we are given one day's grace to sort childcare out. If people aren't going to be in, they'll have to pay for cover, so guess it'd be unpaid leave, which I suppose is fair enough. It's not their problem if you haven't got cover in place.

Childcare issues are not an employers problem. If you are told to be in the office and you can’t, with no alternative (holiday, unpaid leave etc) agreed then it could be straight down a formal disciplinary route whether you have been at the company for more than two years or not

Something needs to be done about this in the current circumstances. Childcare does not exist. It's not a case of we don't want to pay for it or didn't sort it out in time. It doesn't exist.

If I lose my job because of a lack of childcare that is entirely beyond my control I will put on my best sad face and go to every newspaper that will have me and shame any business that does it.

^ I totally, totally agree with this!

Pretty certain that schools will re-open after half term.

I think when we were discussing rota whole days the problem was the vulnerable that we potentially wouldn’t see for another week. I know that this would be a logistical nightmare for workers and I am worried about the potential backlash from parents. Trying to work out social distancing in schools with little space 🤯

Ireland have released a phased reopening - schools are closed until September - nurseries are not back until July !

We don’t know what will happen here

Also the advice would surely still be to work groom home if you can - lockdown or not - until this is sorted!

There is no need for everyone to start commenting again - it would be stupid!

I don’t know what employers issue is with staff working at home tbh it’s so old school and untrusting.

We’ve been told we will not be back at the office for a long time - possibly even next year ! There’s no need as the work is all getting done and tv there are no issues

It will be wfh for the companies that allow it.
Then use up annual leave, apply for carers leave etc.
Otherwise if you can't do the job they'll find someone who can, they'll be lots looking for work.

I'm hoping schools and childcare go back after halfterm , hopefully full time

Pubs and restaurants can wait , schools need to go back !

Surely if workplaces can go back, then childcare, which is a job, therefore a workplace, can operate.

So if you need to work and can't look after your child at home, you put them in paid for childcare, or have a friend or relative take care of them. The same as its always been.

Why should your employer care if you have childcare or not?
You are supposed to fit in with the job you take, not the business fit in around your childcare, or lack of it.
This thread is Bizarre.

I think most of the newspapers are run by exactly the kind of employers that would fire you for lack of childcare and point out you have a husband to support you and if you're a single parent you need burning at the steak anyway.

We're lucky in that this won't be an issue, DH can WFH and I work so little hours I'm pretty much a SAHM, so I can only imagine how stressful it must be to be worrying about this at the moment

Unles treatment is available i doubt full time schooling will happen until after holidays at least, sd still needs to take place in some form, even if it is just saying we are doing it.
I will continue what i do now, when not in the hub teaching then i wfh, when in the hub my kids go to my parent, they are over 70 but needs must and it's the only childcare I have.

No idea where people have got the dates June or July from? Not very likely IMO, just completely understandable wishful thinking.

@Devlesko because the employer could loose a good 30% of their workforce within a week. Most employees are not easily replaceable

Where I work is mainly single people with no children so it wouldn't affect if too much but I am hoping I will be able to remain on furlough or work from home

I presume that all those advocating opening schools ASAP are aware that children are infected at the same rate as adults, so as infectious and that there are concerns about a severe reaction affecting children, especially under 10s. More than 20 affected in England I believe.

Still think sending back ASAP is the best course of action? Safest?

What I read this morning in the FT is that offices will not be permitted to operate as normal by the government. WFH will remain the default position unless the employer can prove the work can't be done remotely. Transport cannot function at full capacity, therefore neither can office work. If you have issues, join a union and they'll soon sort it for you! I would say schools and nurseries will go back at the start of June. Not sure what form it'll take though.

@tootletum thankyou for that, that’s reassuring.