Is this unfair treatment?

[Hulahula86]

Bit of background I was able to do my job all from home for over a year during covid and at some points had both children at home and my husband was still going out to work, I just worked flexibly and did a lot in the evenings and sometimes weekends etc and it worked well.

We’ve now been back in the office since May and I’ve used all my special and left over annual leave up with child sickness, (when working from home I just worked and didn’t mention I had a poorly child home)
We have got a laptop so sometimes I’ve been able to work from home when my children are Ill and it’s not been a problem.

Today is the second occasion I have asked to to work from home as I have a child off sick and it’s been refused the first time someone else already had the laptop to work from home and today i thought would be fine but was then told there is not enough work to do at home. On both occasions I’ve had to take unpaid leave, the reason I feel this could be unfair treatment is other people doing the same job as me (I’m nhs so same band and job role) have their own work laptops and therefor have the same option I had when I worked from home (on my PC) that if their children are off sick they just work as usually and no one would be non the wiser I know this as one particular team all have young children and have all chatted to me about doing this. Is this unfair treatment? Is it something I should raise? And if so how can I do it?
My poorly 3 year old is snuggled on the sofa watching peppa pig so I absolutely can get on with work.

It's not unfair treatment. Work from home is not to allow you to look after your child.

* Today is the second occasion I have asked to to work from home as I have a child off sick and it’s been refused*

^Why are you surprised? Take unpaid leave like everyone else.

I'm astounded (and equally horrified) the NHS systems allow you to log on from any old laptop, and not a dedicated one with NHS security added.

Has your husband also run out of special leave (what is this?) and annual leave?

It would be unpaid for me.

Why do others doing the exact same role as you have a laptop and flexibility to work from home and you don’t? Are you sure your roles are the same?

Unfortunately I don’t think you can work from home because your child is sick.
Lockdown meant a lot of people had to work slightly differently but if you are office based I doubt you have the right to wfh for this reason

The laptops are nhs ones the only reason I’ve been given that I don’t have my own nhs laptop (but use of a shared one) is being part time but at an away day found out other part timers do. Luckily I’m in a position the odd day off unpaid is manageable financially but it’s more it’s unfair that other people doing the exact same job (we are the same team doing the same job just in different units) have this option and don’t have to ask management for permission but I do.

Equally if I make a scene about this as most have said child care day should be unpaid this will rock the boat for those doing it all the time anyway.

Also those that mention about data etc most senior management in my trust seem to work from home all the time now since covid begun.

@InTheLabyrinth

I'm astounded (and equally horrified) the NHS systems allow you to log on from any old laptop, and not a dedicated one with NHS security added.

Has your husband also run out of special leave (what is this?) and annual leave?

It would be unpaid for me.

Just to clarify all the laptops I am referring too are NHS ones but personal ones but some employees have their own laptop provided by work.

My partner runs his own business he does help when he can but it’s less detrimental if I take a day off as a business owner he doesn’t get special leave etc. I’m thankful since he started his own business in 2020 it’s done well despite covid etc and the fact it is doing well makes these unpaid days manageable for us, the issue here is my manager hasn’t been clear on expectations as there have been other occasions when I’ve had a child off sick and they have let me work from home with no issues, if it had been made transparent from the onset that child care days were unpaid then I wouldn’t question it….but the amount I’m now taking with pcr tests and awaiting results it is making me question whether I should just leave my job soon and hope that DHs business continues to grow and I can do even more to support him, which is a shame as I’ve exceeded in my training to do my current job and it is very rewarding but due to first and gor most being a mum in the current climate not sure how long my employment will be sustainable (these have been my thoughts today! They should have let me work from home as I’ve now been doing the maths on how much worst off we’d be without my income!)

And special leave is a paid day off for something like looking after a poorly child or parent on my hours I get one of these days a year my DH gets none as he’s a company owner so has no benefits like annual leave etc

I don't think it's unfair treatment but it's worth asking whether you're able to get a laptop again. Are you in England? If so then haven't the isolation rules just changed to match wales, so now you have to isolate again if someone in your household has symptoms? If so that might be W good argument for having one?

Its up to you what work environment you want to work in - if you don't like the 'benefits' provided around WFH, then look for a new job. It will be easier than fighting it.

Have they? If so will bring this up as only a matter of time before it goes round the school and nursery. I think workplaces have to accept it’s weird at the moment. Pre covid the grandparents helped even with illness unless really bad but now I have to keep the kids off for every cough and wait for results incase it’s covid the grandparents won’t risk having them I know I’m not the only one in this situation but is so frustrating wish they would scrap isolation not increase it arghh!

I would double check that, I don't particularly follow what's happening in England but I know they've changed some things recently to be more like in wales.

Can your DH step up more? It may be "more detrimental" for you as a family for him to take the day off but what about your employer, your colleagues, your patients. Presumably your taking time off is detrimental for someone.

Other than in an emergency I don't think WFH with a sick child is fair on your employers or your child

@InTheLabyrinth

I'm astounded (and equally horrified) the NHS systems allow you to log on from any old laptop, and not a dedicated one with NHS security added.

Has your husband also run out of special leave (what is this?) and annual leave?

It would be unpaid for me.

It doesn't. You have to go through a Vpn with two factor authentication. The difference with work laptop is that the first step of that authentication is already on the laptop, going in on a non-nhs machine means you do both via the VPN. You can't just save word documents or patient notes to your own laptop/ computer. It's a) virtually impossible through the VPN (you'd need to download them via outlook 365) and b) it's against the IT policy and a stackable offence.

But NHS systems aren't actually very secure.

it is short sighted - but then on the whole most NHS managers are short sighted
you have offered to work, as much as you can

@InTheLabyrinth it will be via a VPN. I know of at least 2 large major banks which require staff to provide their own laptop or PC if they wish to work from home.