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Original poster

How does your employer handle child sickness?

16 replies

PlateSpinner23 · 08/10/2023 19:50

I'll be taking tomorrow off with a poorly toddler. He's 3.5 and quite clingy at the moment (even before this cough and cold season hit), so even though I work from home most of the time, I can't effectively work while he's here with me. My husband (who is a teacher) will come home as early as he can in the afternoon so I can get a few hours work in, but it won't equate to a full day.

How would your employer handle that? Would you be expected to take leave (in which case, would you work those hours later on the day)? Use unpaid parental leave? Try and get what work you can done during the day, and hope it all measures out in the end?

It's that classic 'work like you're not a parent, parent like you don't have a career'. I'm going to feel like I'm letting someone down regardless.

Thanks xx

OP posts:
Dacadactyl · 08/10/2023 19:55

I'm PT, so generally I'd just ask to swap my working day to a different one and make my hours up that way.

If i wasnt PT, i would be expected to use unpaid parental leave but would always be given the option of taking actual annual leave first (and then it'd be my decision as to whether to take it as AL or unpaid)

PragmaticWench · 08/10/2023 20:00

I'd make up as many hours as possible in the evening and that would be it really. We have a very flexible and trusting team and we all work hard, so nobody takes the piss.

stonedaisy · 08/10/2023 23:23

Its just dependant leave, likely unpaid

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Burpcloth · 09/10/2023 06:51

3 days of paid emergency leave to use across 12 months (but has to be for unforseen events - sickness counts) unless it was just a few hours that could be worked back. Otherwise a choice of unpaid leave or using annual leave.

Berninaa · 09/10/2023 06:54

Similar to Burpcloth, the idea is that emergency leave allows you to put something in place so you can get back to work.

MintJulia · 09/10/2023 07:00

When ds was a toddler, there was no parental leave so I took annual leave.

Thankfully he was a healthy baby. It must be a nightmare for those with recurrent health issues.

gotomomo · 09/10/2023 07:03

I've had flexible jobs more recently, I make up the hours. In the past I was sacked for having to pick up my dd from school when she was struggling, she was having multiple blackouts per week! Turns out they were psychological not neurological

JollyJellyCat · 09/10/2023 07:05

In the same position today. I have no meetings so I plan to take a half day annual leave and work 3-7.

Employer would probably be more flexible and be happy if I caught up over the week but you know how it is with little ones, I don't have a spare minute in the week and would never catch up!

Blessedbethefruitz · 09/10/2023 07:06

When my older (now 4.5) gets sick - which is often, he's unlucky and always sick or injured - he's like a sack of potatoes, so as I work from home anyway, I just carry on with him on the sofa next to me. I hold the bucket every 30 minutes as needed and then carry on.

My youngest though, while almost never sick, is still a baby really and v clingy. No way could I work other than the occasional email. I take annual leave. I don't have loads so it's all saved for school holidays and child illness now!

TheChosenTwo · 09/10/2023 07:07

I get 10 days of paid parental leave so would use that. I’m wfh and my kids are older though so depending on what was wrong (temp and cold in this case) I’d just be able to crack on and keep checking in on them periodically.

Marmite27 · 09/10/2023 07:10

We get 5 family days a year.

The last time I had a clingy sick preschooler I worked half a day on two consecutive days and took one family day.

desikated · 09/10/2023 07:13

Wow 10 days of leave @TheChosenTwo that's great!

In my job, unless I am directly teaching at the time I could flexibly work around it / work in eve to make time off.

If i was scheduled to teach (I work at a uni) then I would need to take leave or unpaid leave.

My partner is a teacher. He gets 4 days parental leave every 12 months. We've already used 2. It's a bloody nightmare as he is no flexibility and we don't have anyone to help. So basically it's either: he loses a days pay or I manage it somehow around my hours.

Having helpful relatives locally must be an absolute god send for parents (in more ways than one).

User63847439572 · 09/10/2023 07:46

Strictly it would be making the time up (one reason why I felt I needed to work part time, so you have some slack to swap round days) or take annual leave, or take unpaid leave.
In practice now with working from home and my Dc being a little older I just work from home, especially if they’re in that low energy lying-on-the-sofa ill stage and easy to look after!

User63847439572 · 09/10/2023 07:47

I am lucky to have relatively helpful relatives (my parents) but they’re not up for looking after ill children and risking germs themselves, which I do understand

TheSnailAndTheWaaaail · 09/10/2023 08:01

Usually just unpaid dependents leave. Sometimes annual leave but a manager has to approve that.

Spendonsend · 09/10/2023 08:05

I've had a few jobs, most would let it be an unpaid day off, some woukd take it out my annual leave allowance. I wouldnt work it as I was not being paid or it was my holiday.

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