Mums at work

[Mummyjustwantstowork]

Hi advice needed please, after my maternity leave of 9 months I returned back to work full time but they have allowed me to work from home for 2 days due to childcare arrangements. Nothing was ever said like I have got to be back In The office full time by a certain date. There are some colleagues in the office complaining to management that they think I should now be in the office 5days, who are they to say this when they don’t know my circumstances. My boss has now arranged a meeting as she wants to know how long I will be working from home until, me working from home doesn’t effect anyone else I have an office set up with all the systems I need plus I have the phone line linked to home so I can answer office calls.

where do I stand here as I can’t go back in the office as my childminder can only have my 20mth year old son 3 days a week I work hard and I work 830-1730 as a transport planner, all of this is because of pure jealousy in the office as they want to work from home also

pleas advise x

Have you put in a flexible working request? Childcare alone might not be a good enough reason but I would start down that route.

What childcare is in place while you're working from home and how old is your baby now? If you only have 3 days a week childcare are you wfh and caring for a baby? If so, that's the issue. It also won't be sustainable when you have a toddler.

Ah I missed that. Yeah, if OP is working with a baby at home then scrap my answer. I didn’t mean a flexible working request so that she could stay home with a baby all week; I thought she had childcare.

Are you looking after your baby on the 2 days you WFH? If you tell that to your manager, they will not be impressed. Do they know that?

As a manager, I would never agree to a WFH arrangement where there wasn't full childcare in place. I would ask you to take those days off if your role could be done part time. Your colleagues would also be pretty pissed off if they knew you were doing childcare whilst 'WFH'.

So who has your child the other days? Are you saying you wfh 8:30-5:30 while looking after an infant?
Why did you sign up to a child minder who could only do 3 days if you work 5?
Your workplace are well within their right to not allow this arrangement.

What does your contract say your place of work is?
And, to echo PPs do you have childcare for all of your children when you are wfh? Or are you attempting to wfh while looking after your children?

With the best will in the world, you won't be able to care for a young child whilst working and it have no effect, there will inevitably be some.

You either need to change your childminder or reduce your hours by the sounds of it.

Your colleagues are annoyed because they'd either like to be afforded the same privileges or they think it's unfair that you're getting 2 days at home working and they have to go to the office. Whether this is right or wrong of them to be annoyed, th y will see you as getting preferential treatment.

Who is looking after the baby for the other 2 days?

Does your line manager know you have no childcare in place for the two days you wfh?

Assuming I’ve misread this and you have your partner looking after your child when you work from home then put in a flexible working request. Ensure it is clear how you are just as productive working from home ideally backed up with data.

When you said due to childcare arrangements I assumed WFH allowed you to do a drop off / pick up that would be impossible while attending the office, not that the child was actually at home with you all day?

If this is the case then wouldn't be best pleased if I was your manager or colleagues either and I imagine it's that rather than jealousy that is the issue!

Yes, this. Not jealousy. Recognition that you simply can't pull your weight while you have a almost 2 year old at home with you.

You can't work whilst looking after children

If you wfh, you’re still expected to have childcare, it just means you can take and pick up at later/earlier times than if you’re in the office. Did you think wfh meant wfh with toddler?! As a manager I’d be calling you back in if I felt you didn’t have suitable childcare.

where do I stand here as I can’t go back in the office as my childminder can only have my 20mth year old son 3 days a week I work hard and I work 830-1730

Your poor kid.

This is no life for them. You obviously need childcare.

You have to find a childminder that works five days a week, alternative childcare on the two days she can't, or just go part time.

(I honestly can't believe this isn't obvious to people.)

If you don’t have any childcare in place, this isn’t going to go well and you may find yourself unemployed. If it is simply an issue of difficult drop off and pickups on those days, then I would expect your employer to be more understanding.

If you have childcare for the other 2 days but not as long say 9-5 then might have a case as getting to office after that would take time whereas running child to your mums for the day which takes 5 mins drive is fine

It’s not jealousy, they’re a) frustrated you’re getting paid for five days a week and not working them because you’re caring for a child on two days or b) rightly concerned your child is being neglected while you work.

you might be somewhere in the middle but you cannot look after a child’s developmental needs and work properly simultaneously

It does affect other people and your own abilities owing to 2 of the days you attempting to look after a 20 month old and work.
You need to find additional childcare or go down to 3 days.
I imagine most people here commenting remember how difficult it was in Covid when some of us were expected to WFH with young children and the impact it had on them and us.
Mine were a bit older- youngest pre reception age and I hated how much I said 'mummy's working' or told them to sush.

I was going to suggest putting in a formal flexible working request. Assuming the childcare issue was about the commute, ie nursery closes early on two days or parents have them but can’t get them any earlier / later in the day.

Working from home to care for the child is not reasonable or fair on anyone.

You’re not home with the child, are you?
Thats not on. You need formal childcare, even if you’re wfh. There’s absolute nil chance it’s not affecting your colleagues as there’s no way you can do a full days work with a toddler running around.

If you didn’t get your wfh signed as a new contract, you don’t have a leg to stand on. You’d need to put in a FWR.

You’ll still need childcare, regardless.

This nonsense is why firms are getting fed up with wfh, it ruins it for everyone.

They are well within their rights to, you cannot work from home while looking after a child.

Where is the child when you're working from home?

You absolutely can't be working while caring for a baby, most workplaces are extremely strict on this.

If you want advice on where you stand with this you need to update advising on what the childcare arrangements are for the days you WFH. From what you have said it sounds like you are looking after your child whilst on work time which is not right and your colleagues and manager are right to be annoyed.