Mumsnet need your opinions for Jeremy Vine show today!

[carriemumsnet]

Hi we've been asked to go on the Jeremy Vine show today to discuss Harriet Harman's proposals to give parents paid time off to look after their children if they are sick.

We know you'll have some views on this, so over to you.

Would this encourage you to go back to work?

My sister has this too. She works for NatWest in their call centre.

I think it is wonderful that some companies already offer this. I just feel that it would be unsustainable for a small company with a very limited workforce, and small profit margins.

Well, we already have this at my work (completely unofficially!) and as a previously childless employee I can't say I cared when other people phoned in to say they wouldn't be coming in because their child was sick.

It hasn't ever caused any resentment and none of the parents have abused the system. It maybe helps that we do have some work that can be done from home.

I think we always find it hard to picture how these things will work - I'm sure the same arguments were presented against paid sick leave (unfair on the well!) and paid maternity leave.

I agree that a set number of days would be a good way to go at least initially. Perhaps extend the SSP scheme to cover dependents sickness so that this was the minimum an employer could offer.

bad idea. agree with those suggesting any such policy should be applied to any dependants. from experience, it can be a lot easier to find someone to look after a sick child for a day that it is to find someone to look after a sick grandmother for the day, or make a hospital visit to help with consultant appointments, asking the right questions etc.

i know how lucky i am to work for a family friendly company which employs a lot of mothers and has a decent dependency leave policy.

Maybe it could apply only to company's of a certain size the way the flexible working laws do.

would make an enormous difference to me - 2 kids and no family to fall back on if too sick for nursery. wouldn't make as much difference as making childcare affordable.

I think it's good news for childminders - there's a thread today about a sick child being left with her childminder, and the child reported she had been unwell at the weekend. Parents working for companies offering paid time off to care for sick dependents will be very attractive to childminders and nurseries.

I think it may create a two tier system in some workplaces: those with nannies who won't need to take advantage of this policy and those using nurseries/childminders, who will.

Personally, I think it's better to unite parents in the workplace, not divide them.

So, who is going to employ me?

I've been out of the workplace for several years having my children and looking after them pre-school.

I am still young enough to have more so I may need maternity leave and pay.

My children are at school with adequate before and after school clubs, but if they are ill, I will stay at home with them.

And my employer will pay me for it, and pay someone else to do my job.

Would you give me a job?

I think only fathers should have this right.

Then they'd have no excuse for not exercising it.

Is the Gov going to put its money where its mouth is and allow empolyers to claim back the money (like they do with Statutory maternity Pay and Statutory Sick Pay? Surely this would reduce the potential burden on employers, remove the risk of a backlash for women workers, and reduce resentment from childrless colleagues. Incidentally - this should definitely be extended to cover all workers with caring responsibilities.

as previously said - OK if govt is going to fund as a form of sickpay but I work for a small company - it will just encourage them to avoid parents and particularly single mothers.

iirc

In NORWAY each parent gets 10 days off a year so 2 parents get 20 days off a year paid

I think it is a good idea to make it for all dependants ie wife/husband/grandparents etc.

One of our friends has had his wife in hospital and has had to take time off work to look after her when she came home

So IMHO it should be dependants rather than children

And would an employer insist on a sick note for the child?

Agree that it would just be another reason for employers not to employ me, sadly!

In Germany each parent is entitled to 10 days paid leave per child in a calendar year and up to a max. of 25 days where there are more children. Single parents are entitled to 20 days per child with a maximum of 50 per year for more than one child.
All very laudable. In reality, of course, employers hate it and in my experience the snotty wee child in kindergarten or school is often the child of a stressed working mum. Rights enshrined in law don't always translate to the workplace, imo.

at the moment i have to take annual leave. or i make sure i build up my toil and flexi ewith evenign meetings incase one of the three falls ill.

i have sent my son into school protesting about his ongoing long suffering stomach ailment today.

he had friday off - and came into work with me and stayed int heboard room - all of which was just about ok with my collegues. and i dont work in an arsey place.

but he simply couldn't have had today off becuase if i dont write this report and get off mumsnet - i'm going to be sacked. - its lunchtime!

firepile- why would that reduce the backlash? if the government were to pay as they do ssp, then that's coming out of everyone's taxes.

Actually perhaps the fairest thing would be to make it UNPAID leave

Then people won't take advantage of it

So I think that to make it UNPAID leave for 10 days each adult so they can look after ANY dependant

Get off here and write your report, you yellow gloopy sweet thing you. Poor ds, though.

I already have this (unofficially). This would work as part of wider changes to increase the number of jobs avialable which offer working from home, job sharing, flexible working (the things that most good, larger companies do already).

Message withdrawn

piglit - I don't have to provide any evidence of my child's illness, no sick note or anything. They believe me.

If I didn't have this policy I admit there may be times when I would have lied and said it was me who was ill, rather than DD. Luckily I am never put in that position.

so only those who can afford to have their children sick are ok?

thats not fair.

if anyone wants to get on in their career they are not going to fragrently flout the leave.

although that assumes most careers have an upwardly mobile path - its easy to become isular isn't it - however i have working in factories etc. where although you are entitled to the leave - temp contracts through just legal agencies force low paid employies not to gain access to great HR legislation - beuase if your child was sick - you wouldnt be back after your contract of 6 weeks renewable

I can't see it working, though I do like the suggestion of being able to take it out of your annual sickness allowance.
It should definately be able to be used for dependants/partners/parents etc. Actually it should be allowed for pets as well, as that may make the childless more accepting. Employers may then think that since it could be anyone it is not worh discriminating against working mothers.

Or
Make it possible for people to work from home. All a sick child wants to do is curl up on the sofa watching TV, it is pretty easy to work then - impossible if you trying to entertain an active & healthy 3 year old

I can't see why it wouldn't work, bar very small companies. As I said, I have it now and when I was in state school teaching too. If it is limited to certain number of days each year, then why not? And the alternative is sometimes for parents to have to lie about their own sickness to employees - bet that happens a fair bit to avoid unpaid leave.