Extra curriculars and solo working mum life

[sophs2012]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some advice around something that has greatly effected our wee fam since covid lockdown, we have been out of lock down for a while but my workplace changed the rules and brought out a handbook around the same time and said we have to take lunch breaks between 11.30am-2.30pm, and also we need permission in advance to have children in the work place. I'm a solo mum, my daughter is seven and due to this new handbook she's had to give up dance and netball, but I had permission last year to take a late lunch once a week to pick her up and take her to dance and she would come back to work with me for 40mins (she's always been very well behaved and thoughtful of my colleagues). May I mention there are only seven people at the workplace in a spacious office. One of my superiors brings their children in 1-2 times every week which is becoming increasingly hard for me as my daughter has had to give up any sport within my work hours of 8.20am-5pm, any advice on how to address this or make it work? 🤦‍♀️🙄😭 we have found a swimming club that work but she's a sporty girl and I hate that she's had to make sacrifices for my ever changing weirdly controlling workplace

Not least bit surprised re rule of no children in the workplace from a liability insurance perspective

It's an office and there's other children there often as mentioned

Yes
I can state that if it is a workplace office that doesn’t have public entering ie a shop
Then there liability insurance will not cover Any child injured on the premises

15 years Ins experience

This may lie at root of policy

Other children of colleagues which is not the point of the post I was head hunted and told it was a family work place.. we have public liability insurance so by no means the point of my post.

Yes but might explain their policy!

Are extra curricular activities on?
My daughters gymnastics and netball has been cancelled and they said due to covid restrictions

Can you sort something with friends who do same activity - I am at work when my DD starts something so a friend who also goes takes both of them and I pick them up in return.

I wouldn’t expect ‘family friendly workplace’ to mean I could bring my kids in to work when I felt like it. Seems a bit of a piss take.

I’m not a single parent, but DH and I both work full time, so our rule for extra curricular activities is lunchtime or after school clubs at school or weekend clubs. Nothing that involves picking up and ferrying around after school.

If there are frequently other children present the insurance can't be the reason... but on the other hand it's pretty unusual to allow employees children in any workplace for childcare, rather than a brief visit/ company event...

Start looking for a more compatible flexible job sophs2012 - if this employer is too controlling find a better one!

I'm a single parent and my daughter never did extracurricular activities at primary because I work full time & wasn't around to drive her etc. TBH I felt my employer was flexible by letting me start at 915 so I could do the school run!

It incredibly rare an employer allows children in the workplace. I think you've had a really good deal and its unfortunate they've changed the policy now.

The only thing I'd say, is your employer can't accommodate one person's child and not another's. You could argue on that point, but probably best to look for another job which better fits your needs.

The flexibility of lunch break is good compared to a lot of places and not bringing kids into the office is normal. Ask yourself very honestly has your child been disruptive when there maybe?

I don't think your employer sounds unreasonable. I think to be honest if you're working full time it's odd you think you should be able to facilitate leisure activities for your daughter during working hours.
Pre-Covid times life was simply:take kids to school and head to office. Stay in office until 5:30. Child does after school clubs/paid childcare until parent picks up. Activities have to be arranged to be facilitated as a favour or paid for/done at the weekend.

Not sure how the dynamics in the office work but have you tried having an informal chat? If there is space and a few colleagues with children could there be any options of organising a rota?

It sounds a pity that your daughter has had to sacrifice her activities, she is still little at 7 so there might be opportunities to catch up when things settle

Having kids in an office workplace is fairly unusual. These days it is far more normal for an employer to let you wfh with a laptop, or have flexible working hours, rather than bring the child into the office. Is that a possibility here, ie could you not get your hours done in a different pattern and make up the time working at home?

Perhaps you could respond to your manager by asking for a meeting to discuss flexible working, and then saying that sadly due to the new policy you are finding the company less family-friendly. You are only legally required to take a 30 minute lunch break if you work full time. So I would say you you'd like to make a request to have only 30 mins for lunch, saving you 2.5 hours a week so you can leave earlier.
I doubt 2.5 hours is enough to accommodate the extra curricular so you will need also to ask if you can wfh two evenings a week, or reduce your hours, or start earlier two days a week (you might need to use a childminder or breakfast club for this so it would increase your costs).

A company making it harder to work flexibly at the moment is bonkers, the rest of the world is going the other way.

I think the long window you can take lunch in generous. But agree it's not fair if other children are allowed in the office.

I'm a single parent too. No extra curricular activities are running at the moment where I live. But normally a child minder takes my child. Previously she also did one activity run at the school so she went there straight from her class and I arranged with work to finish 90 mins earlier that day to collect her and do longer hours later in the week.

Hopefully you can sort something out.