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!

@Devlesko this thread isn’t blizzard, it a real problem that people (mostly women) are facing. And I do think a good few work places place value on their staff who may have excellent skills and be great at their jobs but just happen to have children, it’s really really not that bizarre at all!

*bizarre, sorry autocorrect!

Transport cannot function at full capacity

Secondary school, buses will be fun !
My job can't be done at home and I get the bus in at the moment , it's lovely and quiet

SoloMummy

Hasn't happened in other countries though
20 in the whole country?
We can't stay at home until There is a vaccine

@LizzieVereker its been mentioned every day ! Some schoolchildren will go back after may half term !

I work in a school myself, is June 1st wishful thinking??
It will be a phased return but no dates have been discussed, what has been discussed with staff is continuing as we're doing right now being open for key worker children.

@SoloMummy I don’t know? I genuinely (as no-one else does) knows what the plan of action is, this was just a speculative post!

Schools will be facing the same dilemma if they stagger their opening as lots of teachers have children in other schools. If they don’t stagger their opening there is no chance of social distancing ( although not that there really is anyway even with staggered opening) it’s a logistical nightmare!

I have no idea what we would do. Me and DH both work in hospitality and are furloughed, one DC in reception and one in nursery. Grandparents used to cover saturdays and can’t now so that’s an added problem. If nursery opens before hospitality we won’t be able to afford the nursery bill while furloughed. And if hospitality opens first, or school is only part time/wrap around care can’t function we are stuffed. I’d have to consider requesting to reduce hours but I’m the only one with small kids so I don’t think employers would be sympathetic, and if I reduce hours I also then can’t afford the nursery bills (unless they reduce, which they might if they have to stagger days too I guess). So we have no clue what will end up happening yet but I’m sure we will work it out somehow (won’t have any choice really).

How do you know schools are going back? There are a million and one threads on here about it. No one knows, probably not even our government .
I will say though, if schools are rushed back because of parental pressure, there will be a longer lock down next time!

97% of our staff are WFH, kids join Zoom meetings (within reason), that will continue if needed. My Managers little boy loves a chat with me on Teams, I shall miss it actually when things go back to ‘normal’.

DH is tentatively going back mid May week at home week in the office. If I’d not been let go we would have tried to alternate weeks so we had different ones at home. (Same company).

Trouble is, when they say that schools might open from June 1st (not that they have actually said this but still), that doesn't necessarily mean everyone in everyday, job done.
It will quite possibly be very very gradual and not much use to working parents.

I can’t work from home (currently furloughed, but work in hospitality), my husband WFH but they are unlikely to allow it for lunch longer. If restaurants open before childcare I’m going to have to ask my parents to help. No other option really. (Quitting jobs etc etc just isn’t an option, I like paying my mortgage and I don’t have the highest hopes for the job market of the future)

The education minister is Wales has said on many occasions that schools will not be opening imminently and that they will look very different to normal

@ballsdeep this thread wasn’t about that, no one knows when schools are back and in what form! It was about if work places go back first?

@gingajewel

Yes they can. I’d check your contract for unauthorised absence.

There is a disciplinary process they have to follow but yes you can be fired.

Depends on what role you are in I guess. If you are in a skills short role and it would be difficult to recruit a replacement for you, then you’ll get more leeway. If you aren’t then I’d tread carefully.

Employers dont have to pay you if you have no childcare and you can be disciplined if you are unable to continually meet your contracted hours however I think in the current circumstances may be hard to get through an employment tribunal given the current unprecedented situation the country is in at the moment.
Your employer needs to be flexible to you where that suits the business, so they should allow you to change shifts/days or even reduce your hours where possible but again only if these new/reduced hours work for the business not just your circumstances.

Misskg1982 I think June 1 is wishful thinking. Schools cannot/should not re-open unless it is safe to do so for children, teachers AND parents doing drop-off and pick-up. If supermarkets will have to continue with 2m social distancing, cordons, etc schools must surely too – that mean inside classrooms, in the playground, hallways going to and from classrooms, the dining room/hall for lunches. It's a logistical nightmare that's going to take schools weeks to get up and running, if at all. So I think, OP, if schools aren't re-opened when workplaces are, bosses will have to allow WFH to continue or, where that's not possible, make provision for people to stay off (ie, still pay them with Govt support).

@TazSyd but how can you tread carefully? I have three forms of back up childcare, all people who are on the shielding list, my children go to after school and breakfast club! This is different to anything experienced before, it’s not that I’m not willing to sort and pay for childcare it’s that there is none available! Like I said previously I am a key worker so I’m in an ok position, just curious to know what other people’s thoughts and positions are!

@gingajewelI know that thanks. It was an extension of my previous post to the posters who said about schools starting back on the 1st June

Same as school holidays now - up to parents to pay for childcare - most parents don't have enough annual leave to cover every school holiday and half term so they have to pay for care.

@myself2020

Actually most employees are more replaceable than they think they are. If you work in a skills short role, perhaps you aren’t easily replaceable. Say 20% of the workforce are in skills short roles. However, what were skills short role roles may not be when furlough ends, as a lot more people may be redundant and on the job market. It could well become an employers market again, just like it was from 2008 to 2013, when employers had the pick of the bunch.

@Tootletum

You do realise that the vast majority of employers don’t recognise unions don’t you?

Same as school holidays now - up to parents to pay for childcare - most parents don't have enough annual leave to cover every school holiday and half term so they have to pay for care

What is this care you speak of? Childminders and nurseries are closed.....

@Xenia what if there isn’t childcare to pay for? Day time childcare for school age doesn’t exist here and would take time to set up, and wrap around care is likely to face the same issues as schools in terms of social distancing and space so may well have to limit numbers etc. I’m happy to pay for childcare for my children if I’m working, but if it doesn’t exist then I clearly can’t.