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!

If your employer even makes it past lockdown or beyond they simply will not be able to afford to keep paying people who are not productive or 100% present (whether physically or WFH) in their roles. Only the people who can get the business back on its feet will be essential and if you are the one expecting special treatment because you have kids to look after you’re going to be sorely disappointed.

I say that as someone with two DC under 3. I’m under no illusions that my job is hanging in the balance and I’m planning for the worst.

There’s a major lack of realistic expectations from the general public throughout this crisis.

^
This, exactly this, sadly.

I am going back to work full time on Monday (cannot work at home). All the others in my team who are being brought back don't have young children and are highly skilled. The company is being very good about others with caring responsibilities, but just can't suck up the lack of productivity forever.

If my children were younger, or I had recently started work, I would be very worried . If it comes to it, they will retain those who are the most flexible and able to do the job. It's not a question of fairness, - they will be fighting to keep the company afloat. That's just reality.

Yes, if you can go bust and 10 people lose their job or you keep on those who are able to work (or rich enough to pay for a daily nanny/have a househusband or housewife or au pair) and not not others, then a company often makes the second choice which is also for the greater good.

Employment lawyers are going to have a field day if the state does not open nurseries and child minders soon as it will be litigation central unlses we suspend sex discrimination legislation as more women than men are going to be lumbered with the children as they have sexist patterns at home and men expect women to sort this stuff out (but some do not - in 1984 my children's father found the daily nanny - not all couples are set up in a sexist way)

@dairyfairies my ds is wfh as is her dh & the kids are at home, they are under school age. Not every school or nursery is open as it's not law, for some it's not economically viable to have stayed open for a handful of kids eg nurseries and ratios.

I know a fair few key workers police, GP, nurse, etc & only 1 had used a school place during the lockdown. If the parents are at home then the dc are.

more women than men are going to be lumbered with the children as they have sexist patterns at home and men expect women to sort this stuff out (but some do not - in 1984 my children's father found the daily nanny - not all couples are set up in a sexist way)

this is not due to sexist pattern at home but due to the fact that women are often a lower earner (I know, I know - you are amazing and probably out-earned your husband) and therefore, families make financial decisions which have the least detrimental affect on family finances.

Also, fwiw, my employer will want me in the office even though I can work from home at all times and it is not a family business but a blue chip company with thousands of employees. WFH does not affect the quality of the work I do.

My work will fund cost of childcare - up to £800.

Nanny’s aren’t as expensive as people think. If you work in a nursery for minimum wage, you could work in someone’s home for similar rates. I paid £10 an hour cash in hand for 4 kids and the house kept relatively clean. Bloody bargain

I honestly don’t know why people are so worried

Almost every news angle is saying schools opening june 1st and they’re generally right

It’s like things get leaked so it’s not a shock

Looks like primary, y10 and y12 with key workers still accommodated so teachers kids can go in

I know it's not an option for anyone on here, but I think we will be able to go back to work full time. Without the school opening. But younger DC (9) will be somewhat neglected and looked afterby the reluctant sibling (16) and the screen!
DH working night shifts and I have flexible working during the day. None of our jobs can be done remotely. And any school work would suffer greatly.

Almost every news angle is saying schools opening june 1st and they’re generally right

I have a child at secondary with complex needs. It may be a teen but cannot be left unsupervised.... so it is a massive issue for me.

@chrissiekeller61 When was that? I pay my childminder £10 p/hr per child. If you have a nanny over a certain age & salary you also need to pay a pension, sick pay etc

I think Chrissie thinks you pay a nanny NMW to look after all the children, I don't think she knows that you become their employer, that you have to pay pension, sick pay, holiday pay etc. I have a friend who has a nanny and she even uses an accountant to work out certain parts of the nanny salary etc. The whole package is very £££.

I'm not convinced & think teachers/parents will need more time to accept it. My sister was pretty certain the government wanted to keep the schools open till Easter hols but it became too difficult as parents stopped bringing their kids in & so many staff were shielding.

@dairyfairies I just noticed the cash in hand bit so think you're right!

re women than men are going to be lumbered with the children as they have sexist patterns at home

Imagine ... if one of the things that came out of all this were that men stepped up to their parental responsibilities. Arrangements would be recognised to be required for parents and necessary to get a significant proportion of the workforce back working.

I think than numbers dropped in schools earlier because companies started to work from home so people were able to take care of kids

Let’s face it the government didn’t even want schools shut at all they only did so to help facilitate the stay at home message

Now when gov advice is updated, schools will open and many companies will demand staff back at work so people will likely have to use schools

According to many of the threads on here schools are not childcare so parents shouldn't be relying on them for that, despite the fact that working parents often plan their working lives around what they consider to be a certainty, like school hours Not sure what the alternative is given most childcare providers are shut too and not everyone has willing grandparents on hand.

I guess reasonable employers will try to offer options such as wfh, holidays, parental leave, etc. But there will be many unscrupulous employers who will just get rid of people and fill the jobs with the newly unemployed child free people out there.

This is something that will hopefully be recognised by the government in their return to school plans. A phased return my not be the best approach as it won't work for employers. However I'm not sure what the best option is.

Paying a childminder 10 per hour per child? That's insane and you must earn a fortune.

I only earn about a tenner an hour myself I couldn't afford a nanny but I also cannot afford to be unemployed.

If nursery or the childminder I've lined up for when Ds starts school opens im fine as if I get made redundant I'll find a job. Any job. I'm not fussy.

If they don't I literally cannot find a ft job I'd maybe get a PT evening job and they're not easy to come by with pubs and restaurants closed are they!

This is basically going to push young poor families into poverty.

Great.

@daisymay133 schools still have the issue of staff shielding. At my dcs primary about 5 teachers are pregnant & some of the after school club staff & dinner ladies have medical conditions, hence why they also had to close early as not enough staff.

Paying a childminder 10 per hour per child? That's insane and you must earn a fortune.

That's pretty normal for where I live in London. The day rate is cheaper at £70 but top up hours are £10. My local nursery is £95 a day per child. I'm lucky that I work pt & almost tto & 1 dc is in school so that keeps my bill low.

Plus when children turn 3 you get some funding help.

To crunch some numbers, with some massive assumptions, to keep things simple but produce a ballpark figure / back of the envelope calculation

• Assume everyone works between 18-65 = 47 working years
• Assume everyone has two children, two years apart, and those children can be left unsupervised from age 12 onwards = 14 years of needing childcare = 33 years of working life where you don't need childcare (I'm ignoring both the 20% of women who don't have any children, and those with larger families / bigger gaps in the hope that it roughly evens out)

That gives 70% of the working age population not having children who need childcare at any one time. For the 30% who do have children of that age, let's assume one parent can do all the childcare - that's only 15% of the population who could not work for childcare reasons.

In the midst of a big recession and widespread job losses, I suspect many employers will simply chop the 15% who cannot work due to childcare issues, and find someone without children.

Harsh, but probably the reality.

Office staff - work from home

Most Site staff are classed as key workers so could send theirchildren to school.

Wow @sotiredwe I pay £42 a day for nursery and will pay £30 a day for childminder! I am in Yorkshire tho.

@TrustTheGeneGenie I could probably find someone/where for £60 but that would be the cheapest. My cm is fantastic though. Some of my friends pay 2k a month for childcare. Apologies for the derailment!

I got told that I would need to take unpaid leave or use my annual leave to cover childcare issues.

My DC goes to school currently because I am a key worker. I don't have the wraparound care we would normally use so am taking lave every week to make up for those missing hours.

My biggest concern is if they do a phased return to school and say he can't come back every day as he currently is.

I'm a lone parent but I don't think I could claim benefits to cover the unpaid days because I won't be unemployed. I currently get tax credits and am terrified or the swap to universal credit so wouldn't want to trigger that.