Bridging the gap of work/life balance
I ran across an article today that discussed how bringing children to work helps balance the work/life conflict that many employees face today. The article sparked my attention because in class we never really discussed this "solution". Should bringing a child to work effectively solve the problem?
It is a widely known fact that finding acceptable childcare is a job all by itself. Some companies offer childcare service within the facility. Others may not. However, when the burden is heavily weighed on employees themselves, some employees feel the pressure mount. Not only is the childcare usually expensive, the quality of childcare can become sketchy.
Some companies offer the ability to bring children into the workplace. In this particular article, the woman did not really ask if it was okay to bring her son into work. Since the employer did not offer maternity leave, the woman used her seven weeks of unpaid leave to substitute. Once the seven weeks passed, the woman had to return to work. Bringing her child to work was the only option that would allow her to return. Is this fair? Presuming that the employer does not care if the child comes to work, where are the boundaries? At what age should this policy be terminated?
The overall issue I find with bringing children to work is the effectiveness and fairness of the situation. Can an employee truly focus on work while also taking care of a child? In addition, can other employees? My first instinct would be no. But if an employee, like the one in this article, can balance the two, who can argue against it? Also, does bringing a child to work really help balance both work and home life? I would say no because it actually links the two together. Many employees truly like differentiating work and personal life. I think separating the two is essential to actually finding that work/life balance.
Reference:
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/04/22/news/community/6loc03_babyatjob.txt
It is a widely known fact that finding acceptable childcare is a job all by itself. Some companies offer childcare service within the facility. Others may not. However, when the burden is heavily weighed on employees themselves, some employees feel the pressure mount. Not only is the childcare usually expensive, the quality of childcare can become sketchy.
Some companies offer the ability to bring children into the workplace. In this particular article, the woman did not really ask if it was okay to bring her son into work. Since the employer did not offer maternity leave, the woman used her seven weeks of unpaid leave to substitute. Once the seven weeks passed, the woman had to return to work. Bringing her child to work was the only option that would allow her to return. Is this fair? Presuming that the employer does not care if the child comes to work, where are the boundaries? At what age should this policy be terminated?
The overall issue I find with bringing children to work is the effectiveness and fairness of the situation. Can an employee truly focus on work while also taking care of a child? In addition, can other employees? My first instinct would be no. But if an employee, like the one in this article, can balance the two, who can argue against it? Also, does bringing a child to work really help balance both work and home life? I would say no because it actually links the two together. Many employees truly like differentiating work and personal life. I think separating the two is essential to actually finding that work/life balance.
Reference:
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/04/22/news/community/6loc03_babyatjob.txt
posted by M. Stopper at
2:30 PM
2 Comments:
I think this is an interesting topic. Growing up my default babysitters were random social security employees, who kept an eye on me as I played in the coffee break room and supply closet. Though I loved to spend time with my mom, I hated spending time with in the office because she was stressed, often frustrated with me, and pressed for time—plus her cubical was not enough space for the two of us. While I realize the article was aimed at new moms and their babies—I can’t imagine that even infants would feel they truly get the attention they need in the workplace.
I’m sure there are work environments better equipped for children than the Social Security office in New Albany, IN; however, I believe young children cannot be properly cared for or attended to in all but a few. In the workplace children can’t be children and some might even end up feeling like they are a burden to their parents, and such a feeling can have consequences on healthy development.
I believe a work/life balance beneficial to both the child and the parent has to be struck and I am 100% behind daycare facilities located in the workplace; however, I believe that a child’s exposure to actual office space should be severely limited before the child reaches the age of 10.
This is something that I wish we would have talked about in class. I’ve known a lot of moms that will bring their child into work with them, and they seem to perform their job in the same manner and way in which they would if their child was not there. I tend to see issues arising with other coworkers. This could cause a problem especially if the child likes to throw fits in the middle of a room when he/she doesn’t get their way. This could be distracting and thus might hurt productivity of other workers in that area. I could also see other coworkers getting up set and bring their child into work with them. This of course would then seem like a daycare instead of a place of employment. Where would an employer draw the line in order to stop things like this from happening? Would you only be allowed to bring your child in on certain days, or limit the amount of time per week a child could spend at work with the parent? This is also a problem because when there are children around the office, it’s more common that some coworkers will come over and be a little more chatty than normal because there is a little person there. (I don’t know about you…but when I see a baby in the office I have to go over and start talking to the baby in baby talk and pick them up and hold them…sick I know…but true). So there again productivity goes down because employees are not at their desks.
I think a better solution to this problem might be the idea of having on-site daycare for employees to take advantage of. This of course would mean that the child wouldn’t be running around the office, but instead interacting with kids their own age. This might of course lead to a not so great work/life balance because the mother/father would be spending more time at work and less time with their family. I think it’s just something we will need to pay attention to as we enter the workforce now, and maybe things will change and we will receive longer time off in between having a baby, only time will tell though.
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