KIT day - bring baby or not?

[AngryBirdsNoMore]

Hi everyone

when you did a work ‘keep in touch’ day, did you bring DC? He’ll be 6.5 months old, it’s this week.

I don’t have other childcare and that is presumably the norm. It’s a civil service HQ department if that helps.

thanks

If you're in for a full or half day then no. The workplace is not a place for a baby. Either change the date or get a baby sitter.

Can you email all of the people you will be meeting with and say (don't ask) just to let you know, I'll be bringing my baby that day. Then you don't have to discuss with your manager, who sounds awful...
Terrible and really unprofessional advice.

Agree with pp, treat it as a normal office based working day. Taking your baby along will undermine your credibility and be inappropriate. You need to find a babysitter or childminder who will cover or partner takes day off. How much notice have you had to arrange this?

No, it is inappropriate to take your child with you. You will need to find child care, just as you will when you go back to work.

Absolutely not acceptable

No u don't bring ur baby. Ur being paid for it so need appropriate childcare for the day.

I took my baby in once to see everyone and I had a quick meeting with my manager while I was there about coming back part time.

I do remember some people bringing in babies and they were upset/crying and one time a woman basically told her to go I can't hear this person on the phone for the baby. We were all quite shocked it was quite rude but I get that she genuinely couldn't get on with her work. She cld have been nicer though. Point is a baby should not be in the workplace all day.

Absolutely not. You are not obliged to do KIT days so if you cannot find childcare then you should decline to do one. You will be paid for this day and it would be unprofessional to bring your baby

Not appropriate. KIT days are paid days of work.

Definitely not!

No it’s a paid work day

Only if:
a) the manager is fine with it and
b) you literally have no other childcare option.

Absolutely not if:
a) you want to show the baby off
b) to indulge YOUR anxiety about leaving him.

I retract this. Not a good idea. Don't know what I was thinking this morning - thanks @DappledThings for making me reflect. I would edit my post but can't seem to.

If you can't get childcare then I'd postpone for a later date when you can. I think it is legitimate to have a KIT day somewhat like mine (your employer would need to agree too) as it's a gentle introduction back to work and so meets the aim of keeping in touch and facilitating the return to work. I.e. some relaxed meetings where the expectation is of your baby coming. However, from PPs it sounds like my workplace is in the minority for that, so it really depends on your workplace culture.

No, you’ve got scheduled meetings, how will you focus on either the meeting or the baby?

If you want to take your baby in for a social visit book that for another day.

No, you won't be able to concentrate. You can't exactly leave a pre-arranged meeting (bearing in mind everyone else is doing a normal working day) to make a bottle or change a nappy.

Could you take your partner with you and they take the baby out for a walk when you're in meetings? On my first KIT day I did that, although it was only one catch up meeting and I lived a long way from the office, so it made sense to combine a catch up and everyone meeting the baby.

An informal meeting with your boss about returning to work - fine to bring the baby.

Paid KIT days where you're expected to familiarise yourself with work - not acceptable to bring the baby.

No one can tell you OP. You need to speak with your manager and explain you can only do it with the baby in tow. If they don't want you to then fine. But if there's no norm at your company to follow then you have to explicitly ask what their preference is.

On what planet is it inappropriate?!! The poster said ‘sneak’ as in cuddling babies isn’t, strictly speaking, what you should be doing while at work, not suggesting sneaking a cuddle behind the Mum’s back!

I wouldn't but it may depend on the workplace

Employee rights when on leave

KIT days are optional. Both employer and employee have to agree on them, including regarding payment.

If they've asked you to come in, you'll just have to say "unfortunately I have no childcare arranged until I come back to work, so I won't be able to make it in for KIT days. Happy to find another way - perhaps a Teams call instead, to keep me up to speed?"

I regret doing KIT days and I did them at home via Zoom with DH looking after DD and I STILL could not concentrate.

Def decline it if its going to be ACTUAL work!

Lots of good advice on this thread. As a manager, I’m wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on KIT days for employees who work from home? As in they live too far from the office to come in just for a day. Can I ask them to have childcare in place?

If they're being paid for the KIT day and your normal standard is for employees not to WFH without childcare in place then yes, I think you can (non-expert opinion)!

But they should also be able to refuse the KIT day obviously. Not everyone wants to put their tiny baby into childcare (and fair enough). So I think you'd need to balance it a bit with that. If you want them to do the KIT day you might need to be more flexible (which is what WFH is all about - felxibility).

For my KIT days I had a normal work day. The only difference was that DH brought DC to my work at lunch for me to bf. It would have been inappropriate for me to bring the dc with me all day.

We only come in one day a week. If any of my team wanted to do a KIT day on any of the other 4 days so from home I would absolutely expect them to have childcare in place.

This

When I had my first DC in 1991, I done a visit to my place of work with him (similar age to yours at the time OP).
Colleagues came down in groups of 3 to see us and chat for a while .
Don't think I stayed terribly long but it was nice to show him off (my firstborn) and they enjoyed seeing Him as well, seeing as they had shared my "wonder what baby will be and what they will look like" etc.