how is your workplace dealing with employees who have given up their childcare while WFH

[SunshineyDay1]

I have name changed for this but interested in people's opinions.

having convened a number of calls from 3-4pm, it is now clear to me that there are a lot of people who no longer have childcare at home. At work, we have a hybrid system but with the understanding that if you are needed in or at a certain time, you will be available. Last week we had a really important client call and 2 members of the team were clearly doing the school run at the same time.

I spoke to both afterwards and one said in a quite arsey fashion that 'everyone knows not to schedule calls between 3-4pm anymore' !!

we have another firm in the same building as us - a big listed company - and I was chatting to one of the managers there as they haven't compelled people to come back yet but are monitoring it and they said they have noticed the same thing and are having a meeting this week on how to deal with it.

I don't have young kids any more but do people really think this is acceptable? Surely if you have young children and have a job that is essentially 9-5 or thereabouts, you can't just dump the childcare and expect to be able to work as well as you did when you were in the office? what happens when workplaces compel people to come back?

just interested in how people are dealing with this

As someone who has worked from home her whole life way before COVID there was always an understanding that yes, my core hours were 9-5, but they always gave me flexibility around 3-330. I didn't take a lunch break though, so I think it's one for the other. I also had to have meetings around 8pm to accommodate for colleagues in different time zones.

My work are fine about it. Most people with kids who now do the school run just use their (now moved back) lunchbreak to be away from their desk 3-3.30.

And with wfh, most people log on outside of the typical 9 to 5 hours.

Meetings generally happen between 10 and 2 to accommodate this - it's fine. Just like there never used to be meetings put in at 5pm because most people were driving home then.

We have very much a culture of - do your hours and and when works best for you and your department.

We're very supportive of people with young children or any caring responsibilities. If they need meetings to fit around that, then we schedule the meetings around it. This isn't difficult to implement in my team as no one takes the piss and everyone gets their work done.

It doesn't even have to just be people with dc.

One of my colleagues works best in the mornings. She used to be at the office for 8am (opening time), and do her 8hours.

Now she can wfh she logs on at 6am and does her 8 hours

She doesn't have kids

My work have been really accomodating. I do the school run, but I also don't stick strictly to 9-5, I'll work earlier/later or take shorter lunch breaks. Given most of my team have always worked part time to accommodate other commitments it just works for us.

It makes sense not to be rigid with your employees if you don't have to be.

I think it's a bit odd actually, the same is happening at my work but you wouldn't take your kid to the office would you?

In my case both DH and I are doing a hybrid WFH/office thing but we have maintained all our usual childcare (we have three kids), including after school care for the one at school. You're either working or you're looking after your kids in my opinion, so unless they are older in age and fairly self sufficient then I think people should be using childcare.

* having convened a number of calls from 3-4pm, it is now clear to me that there are a lot of people who no longer have childcare at home. At work, we have a hybrid system but with the understanding that if you are needed in or at a certain time, you will be available. Last week we had a really important client call and 2 members of the team were clearly doing the school run at the same time.*

^This isn’t acceptable. At my work you would have a warning if you missed an important client meeting

If you're holding meetings with clients rather than just doing internal meetings then it's hard to manage.
If that's part of their job and they need to be available when the client is available then they need to be told to arrange childcare and they can't leave their desks for school runs.

I start work really early before anyone else is up and have done my hours before school pick up. However I always log back on when I'm back to check on things and answer emails that have come in since.

I'd also work the odd evening if things needed to be done urgently because flexibility works both ways.

Re 'what happens when people are compelled to come back to the office' - I moved jobs for that exact reason, I wasn't prepared to go back to the enforced rigidity when everything could get done just as effectively (more) in a better way.

I should say, as far as I know nothing has been said to the people who are doing childcare while they work so the above us just my personal opinion.

@User983590521

It makes sense not to be rigid with your employees if you don't have to be.

Agreed. I used to work somewhere that was very rigid, and it just meant the staff were the same too. Everyone would clock off at the exact second their shift finished (you'd see the clock appear at the bottom right of everyones screens to count down the final seconds 😂 ) There was massive distrust and resentment across the business. Very unpleasant place to work.

My work understand that the way we work has changed and are really flexible. Productivity is through to roof since we started working from home and they've rewarded us by being more flexible with things like the school run. It's really improved my work life balance.

I have done calls with my toddler but that's when they've been outside my core working hours (ie before 8.30 or after 6) or on my day off and I've always made it clear in advance that I can join but will have a child with me. If that doesn't work, they can reschedule. My workplace is flexible but I would think it's taking the piss a bit not to be available within working hours on a regular basis, particularly if you're client facing and your job is one where there are frequent calls etc.

I think it’s a massive perk both in terms of saved childcare costs and in terms of quality of life for employees and their children. I’d highlight it as such and feel really pleased that I can give so much for really so little. I’m an employer though, and sometimes we work gruelling hours so it balances out.

I spoke to both afterwards and one said in a quite arsey fashion that 'everyone knows not to schedule calls between 3-4pm anymore

Has anything come out to staff about this from management? In the same way that they may advise no client calls pre 9am or post 5pm?

Yes same here, my work are really flexible and happy for me to do the school runs. However, if a meeting involving a 3rd party is scheduled for a school run time then obviously I make alternative arrangements for pick up and would never ask for it to be moved to accommodate me. My 'give' with this allows me to 'take' at the other end. Also it's not unusual that I'd sort out an issue at 8pm or on a Sunday morning so it all evens out.

My office culture now seems to be "as long as you get the work done, we don't care what times you do it". Which I think is rather facile as OP says, it means that the times of day you can reliably schedule a meeting and expect everyone you need to attend shrink to virtually nothing (we're also asked to avoid lunchtimes). As someone who deliberately went part time to enable school pickups, I'm also not seeing that the people that now stop at 3, take an hour off to do the school run and get their DC settled at home, before returning to work, are actually doing more work than I am. So it feels like part time by stealth.

I'm a sahm and I've been doing the school run for 10+ years now. I've noticed so many new faces of parents doing the school run who never used to before. Especially men. I imagine they are wfh now and can do the school run for the first time.
Actually, I noticed at our 4:30 swimming lesson that I am the only mum bringing DC. Every other parent is a man. I commented to DH about it last week because before covid it was maybe 90% women bringing DC.

I don't know if the partners of these men have just told them right, I've done it for so many years. You're home, your turn. Or if the men want to. But there is definitely a difference. I don't know what their work think about it. My DH WFH and could do the school run in a pinch, but not regularly.

Obviously women are also leaving their desk for the school run too. It just struck me how many men were now around that I have never seen before.

In my workplace as long as you do your hours and make your meetings, not having childcare isn't the end of the world.

However, we regularly have meetings 3pm - 4pm, this has always been the case. A few people have been declining and proposing 3.30pm - 4.30pm, or 4pm - 5pm. Those times don't work and the meetings need to go ahead with all participants. Lunch is taken between 11am and 2pm so it's not a late lunch. Conversations will be being had soon.

I'm also not seeing that the people that now stop at 3, take an hour off to do the school run and get their DC settled at home, before returning to work, are actually doing more work than I am

It's a shame you feel that way. Are you waiting for work from them that they are no longer delivering?

I'm ft (and take my lunch break in time to do the schoolrun). I monitor my hours and consistently work 40+ per week. My tasks are deadline dependent- its simply not possible to PT by stealth in my role.

I'd be incredibly disappointed if you were a colleague of mine holding this opinion of me.

I work for very large organisation, it is absolutely not allowed. Whilst we are WFH currently, this could change in future and therefore the expectation is that parents have appropriate childcare in place. If you wouldn't pop out of the office to do the school run, you can't expect to do it WFH.

We have people putting in flex working requests asking to start a 6 or 7am so they can finish at 2, or work from 7-8.30, then 9.30-3, and then 4-6, or later. Absolute nonsense - our core business hours are 9-5 and we need people to be available between those hours. We don't receive calls until 9am, what use are people working from 6am, they can't be receiving (or indeed making) calls! Or receiving any supervision on their work.

Plus there is an expectation people attend the office 1-2 days a month for training, 121s etc, so these kind of arrangements would be unworkable on those days.

People were given a lot of flexibility when WFH started due to Covid restrictions but now the expectation is that you are available at all times during your working hours. If people want to drop hours so they only work 9.30-3, then that's a different thing. But being unavailable because you're off on the school run - no. That's what childcare exists for.

I'm NHS with 2 kids

I work 4 days and we use a childminder 2 of the days

Partner works 4 days too so he has them 2 days to take the older one to school and have the little one at home, the other 2 days I am currently using a childminder for as my youngest goes to her those days whilst older one is at school but then has wraparound

We work on a system that is flexible for people and as long as the work is done they don't mind If things are done in an evening and they certainly would never schedule a meeting 3-4pm as they know people wouldn't be available and it would cause issues for them

When both of mine are at school I may well consider dropping a day at the childminder to save money as I can work thru lunch and log back on in the evening

As long as stuff is getting done I can't see the issue with it really

I spoke to both afterwards and one said in a quite arsey fashion that 'everyone knows not to schedule calls between 3-4pm anymore' !!

This doesn't work in practice. No meetings pre 10am, because some haven't started work. No meetings between 11 and 2 because of lunch breaks. No meetings after 4pm because some have finished work. That leaves 2 hours for meetings. When you're trying to arrange a lot of popple to attend its just not practical.

I think good employers help their workers be at their best, if they are less stressed and feel supported they are likely to give more back overall and be better workers. Yes they should be available for important meetings and do their hours, however it only takes a bit of sensible planning and some notice to make this happen. I know several colleagues had this sort of arrangement anyway even before wfh as wrap around care etc is not always available. They would leave then continue later in the day from home, or they'd start early, as long as all hours are done and the work is completed I think everyone should try to be flexible.