Tweet
I saw this on Fark...
I was wondering...from an HR standpoint
Do people without kids typically get paid overtime for this? And those with kids not get paid as paid? I don't see that working for salaried people really though. I never understood this part specifically. All my peers in the workplace were childless.
Be Gutsy at Work
Tory Johnson
Avoiding Sparks Between Parents and Nonparents
Some of the best companies in America go to great lengths to accommodate employees with kids. Generous paid maternity and paternity leaves, on-site or backup child-care assistance, options for flexible work options, and even scholarships to send employees' offspring to college are just some of the popular benefits touted by employers. This aggressive emphasis on the family-friendly workplace is great for working parents, great for employers and great for society.
But when you ask another group of dedicated employees -- those without kids -- for their take, you often get a different perspective. There is growing resentment in cubicles everywhere from workers without children who are fed up with what they perceive to be too much coddling of their parenting peers.
Who's Time Is More Valuable?
They've got a good point. None of us, including this mom of 9-year-old twins, should be dismissive of our colleagues without kids. I've seen too many instances where working moms expect accommodations because they've got to get home in time to relieve the baby sitter, or they assume it's acceptable to routinely miss meetings to take their kids to any number of after-school appointments.
There's often an implicit -- and hugely mistaken -- assumption that those without kids can stay late because their time is not as valuable or they have nothing better to do outside the workplace. This attitude shows a disregard for personal time and priorities that may very well be no less important than tending to children.
Companies can't afford to risk alienating their rank and file without kids, and as colleagues and coworkers we can't let this bad blood boil, either.
Check the Attitude, Speak Up
For starters, everyone's time must be valued the same. We must be willing to carry our fair share of the workload and recognize that flexible work arrangements -- those that allow us to work from home on occasion, leave early, or step out to attend ballet lessons and soccer games -- are accommodations, not entitlements. Certain policies and protocols don't work for every position or every department.
While everyone should be willing to assist co-workers in times of need, that helping hand shouldn't be abused. If, as an employee without kids, you sense that urgent work is piled on you at the end of the day by the mom in the next office who says she must race out the door, it's up to you to put your foot down. In a respectful tone, try saying, "I'm sorry you have to leave before your project is finished, but I too have a commitment this evening that prevents me from staying behind to handle your load."
Above all, the stronger your performance -- whether you're married, single, with kids or without -- the more accommodation you can ask for and may receive. Performance and results are the key drivers to winning at work.
Tory Johnson is the CEO of Women For Hire and the workplace contributor on ABC's "Good Morning America." Connect with her at womenforhire.com.
Tory Johnson
Avoiding Sparks Between Parents and Nonparents
Some of the best companies in America go to great lengths to accommodate employees with kids. Generous paid maternity and paternity leaves, on-site or backup child-care assistance, options for flexible work options, and even scholarships to send employees' offspring to college are just some of the popular benefits touted by employers. This aggressive emphasis on the family-friendly workplace is great for working parents, great for employers and great for society.
But when you ask another group of dedicated employees -- those without kids -- for their take, you often get a different perspective. There is growing resentment in cubicles everywhere from workers without children who are fed up with what they perceive to be too much coddling of their parenting peers.
Who's Time Is More Valuable?
They've got a good point. None of us, including this mom of 9-year-old twins, should be dismissive of our colleagues without kids. I've seen too many instances where working moms expect accommodations because they've got to get home in time to relieve the baby sitter, or they assume it's acceptable to routinely miss meetings to take their kids to any number of after-school appointments.
There's often an implicit -- and hugely mistaken -- assumption that those without kids can stay late because their time is not as valuable or they have nothing better to do outside the workplace. This attitude shows a disregard for personal time and priorities that may very well be no less important than tending to children.
Companies can't afford to risk alienating their rank and file without kids, and as colleagues and coworkers we can't let this bad blood boil, either.
Check the Attitude, Speak Up
For starters, everyone's time must be valued the same. We must be willing to carry our fair share of the workload and recognize that flexible work arrangements -- those that allow us to work from home on occasion, leave early, or step out to attend ballet lessons and soccer games -- are accommodations, not entitlements. Certain policies and protocols don't work for every position or every department.
While everyone should be willing to assist co-workers in times of need, that helping hand shouldn't be abused. If, as an employee without kids, you sense that urgent work is piled on you at the end of the day by the mom in the next office who says she must race out the door, it's up to you to put your foot down. In a respectful tone, try saying, "I'm sorry you have to leave before your project is finished, but I too have a commitment this evening that prevents me from staying behind to handle your load."
Above all, the stronger your performance -- whether you're married, single, with kids or without -- the more accommodation you can ask for and may receive. Performance and results are the key drivers to winning at work.
Tory Johnson is the CEO of Women For Hire and the workplace contributor on ABC's "Good Morning America." Connect with her at womenforhire.com.
Do people without kids typically get paid overtime for this? And those with kids not get paid as paid? I don't see that working for salaried people really though. I never understood this part specifically. All my peers in the workplace were childless.
Comment