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Summertime -- and there are kids all over the office

By John Wilcox, Moderator
7/10/2007 - 4:30am
HR Management

John Wilcox, Moderator

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John Wilcox is senior editor of 15 HR Specialist newsletters covering employment law, compensation and benefits, as well as theHRSpecialist.com. A journalist who has covered HR, training, organization development and business management for more than 15 years, John keeps his finger on the pulse of what’s working in HR through daily contact with some of the nation’s top HR pros, business people and employment law attorneys.

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Question: "I'm sympathetic with employees who have to juggle work with child care responsibilities. I know it's tougher in the summer, when school is out and camp and daycare schedules don't always work out conveniently. But I'm getting tired of children being around the office, even when it's just for a while in the morning and afternoon. It's a constant low-grade distraction. I'd like to create a policy that says "no kids at work, ever." Any suggestions on how to do this?" -- Luke, Vermont

Comments

My goodness. Lighten up! When kids come into our office, it's a fun and refreshing change of pace that lasts for just a couple of minutes. As long as the employee shows common courtesy by not having the kids there for hours, I can't imagine why there would be any problem. Put in some earbuds of your mp3 player if their voices/sounds annoy you.

Posted by: Tara | July 10, 2007 at 01:56 PM

Sure you can...if you want to end up with no competent family rearing employees! Life is not perfect, nor any job is. Maybe closing your door would help you focus! It is sad that in this day and age, we still have people with a narrow focus on the differences and needs employees have. I just hope you are not in HR!!

Posted by: Maria | July 10, 2007 at 02:08 PM

There's nothing wrong with having kids in the office for a short time, although how long depends on the age of the child. Babies, toddlers and kids under 10 are a major distraction for everyone. I do work in HR and it's both unprofessional and inconsiderate to have your kids running around the office. And in a public contact setting (aka government) it's a problem.
I have four kids (16 to 25) and have worked all their lives; and when my kids were young the office was not a substitute baby-sitter. It still isn't, nor should it be. If you work and have kids have a backup plan, take a day off, etc.

Posted by: T Tate | July 10, 2007 at 03:00 PM

Here at OSP we have a room for children (only) it's not a break room. It has a TV, some TV games a couch (if the child is sick and needs to lay down. a chair. There is no need for the added expense of having a day care provider as long as the parent is one site. The parent can check on them during breaks etc. It sweems to work out great. We have had this in place for at least 10 years now and the person using it is responsible for cleaning up after themselves. The company has the carpet cleaned once in a while, The children are allowed out to go to the bathroom and to the food/coke machines. I hope this helps.

Posted by: Ann Elder | July 11, 2007 at 08:15 AM

Our employees bring in there children if it's only a few minutes or an hour when they get out of school. There is no use paying daycare for an hour.

We usually put them in our board room and give them some paper and markers and let them have a good time. They know that they can't bother us or if they need something we will get it for them.

It usually doesn't bother us. We can still work on what we need to do.

Sometimes kids here are a good distraction after a long day.

Posted by: D Daniels | July 11, 2007 at 09:09 AM

You certainly can have such a policy - and should. One major consideration is the "liability" of children in a work enviornment. We allow children to visit in our main lobby, typically when the parent is not working and is coming in to show off the children to other associates - we do not allow unattended children anywhere in the facility.

Posted by: Kathy | July 11, 2007 at 09:43 AM

Obviously you do not have children of your own to understand the hassels parents and single mothers have to go through. My sugesstion would be to either have your compnay open a daycare or find another job!

Posted by: Gina Tafoya | July 13, 2007 at 08:44 AM

We have a policy in place that deals with children in the workplace. We allow it with prior approval and the child must be with the parent at all times. The child cannot be here longer than 2 hours. We figure that the parent should be able to find a babysitter or gather their work to take home to work on it. No sick children allowed. People might think that we are being harsh, but we have found that the parents do not want to or can't supervise their children while at work and those children end up being a distraction to others or could end up hurt which could result in a liability to the company.

Posted by: Heather | July 13, 2007 at 09:32 AM

Kids are ok at the right times but not as a general rule in the office environment. A suggestion that you may be able to make at your next management meeting. Suggest, if your facility is large enough, that a small area be designated for inhouse child care at a reduced rate for employees children. Many of your peers would love it as their children would be close by and taken care of for a less rate than they can acquire outside the office. (Company sponored and subsidized) Then children will not be in the office proper and be supervised. Great Idea? Good Luck!

Posted by: M Waldorf | July 17, 2007 at 11:57 AM

It would be nice if more employers offered reduced price daycare for their employees children.

Children should not be allowed to roam freely in an office. Not only is it a distraction but it could be a safety issue.

Posted by: Jill Coulter | July 17, 2007 at 01:10 PM

Hello everybody! I've found hrs.typepad.com in Google and I like this forum!
I'm new here but hope we'll have interesting conversations in future!
You can call me Martirosso :)

Posted by: Martirosso | July 31, 2007 at 01:07 PM

I'd love to see a sample of a policy surrounding this issue. We're trying to put something in place right now.

Thanks!

Posted by: cd | August 16, 2007 at 04:05 PM

Our policy says "Staff is not allowed to bring children into the workplace while working. If your child or children are dropped off to you here at work, you must notify your supervisor immediately that you must leave for the day, using the appropriate leave time for the remainder of the day or until childcare can be arranged for your return."

Posted by: KC | December 11, 2007 at 02:42 PM

Posted by: KC | December 11, 2007 at 02:43 PM

Tags: employees, hr

Salary Negotiating 101: 7 secrets to boosting your career earnings, negotiating a raise and striking the best deal in a job offer negotiation