So I see both ways. And not sure what to do. They don't need to know but at the same time I may get a call or email while I am away from my desk, which I normally respond to right away. The kid is 7 months so it's not possible to tell him to be quiet either.
My H works from home and when our kids were that age he would tell his boss because he was on conference calls the better part of the day. Our 3 yo was home sick from daycare yesterday and since she wasn't actually sick (had fever the day before but was fine in the morning) he did not say anything because she could entertain herself and then napped in the afternoon. It didn't disrupt his day and she is old enough to understand when he is on the phone for work.
If there is a good chance you'll get a call or email and they figure out "Something" is up, I'd tell my boss that my kid is home. As it's allowed that people can WFH when their child is sick, I don't think this should be a big deal.
Yes, I would tell them because I think it would impact how much work you are able to get done.
As an aside, I think it's odd they would rather you wfh while caring for a sick child rather than take a sick day. How much work will you get done? There were days I tried to WFH when J was sick and I got approximately 60 mins of work done over a 12 hr day. But maybe that's just me.
My boss is a 45 year old man with no kids and has never interacted with kids. He doesn't realize this. Lol
To be blunt, take advantage of this. If people WFH when their kids are sick and there hasn't been a problem with it (i.e. boss hasn't realized people aren't as productive), then don't worry about it. Tell him your kid is sick but that you'll be WFH as normal.
There's a lot of factors for me. Will you actually be able to work? My girls are watched by a nanny in my home while I work locked in my office. There's been chunks of time where either we had a useless sitter filling in or the nanny was gone for chunks of the day, with naps and them playing on their own I've been able to pull it off on one off basises. If I can still work and get thugs done there's no need to tell but if my work suffers I/you should take the day off.
I do. I WFH part of the week (and go into an office to sit by myself the other part of the time...). I usually just send my boss a note letting her know that kiddo is home sick and I'm going to work while she naps/rests, and that I will be accessible throughout the day.
Yes, I email my boss when DD is home with me from daycare. Just in case they call or email and need me ASAP, they know I may not answer right away. My family is very family friendly though with this sort of thing
Depends on the job, and on the illness. My work can be done on my own hours (I'm a freelance editor, not a company employee). If my kids are home sick, I just adjust my hours and work at night instead, or get up early the next morning to finish. But if I had a job where I had to take calls, be around to answer emails ASAP, etc., I would take the day off, or at the very least, tell my boss that my kid is home sick with me and that I'll do what I can.
If kid was just sleeping off a fever on the couch, I'd probably not bother telling the boss and just keep working. But if kid was puking left and right, day off.
No. But I am an independent contractor and only get paid for the time I actually bill clients, so I have a lot of autonomy. I don't really have a boss per say, just partners I work with, and they don't care if I am working while my kid is asleep or watching TV beside me as long as I meet deadlines and get stuff done. Conversely, if my kids are home and I therefore get nothing done, I just don't make any money that day--there is no sick leave to be considered or anything like that.
Post by crazycakes on Oct 31, 2014 20:36:50 GMT -5
No, I don't. I WFH 4 days a week, and have care all of those days. On the random days that something happens and I don't have care, I don't notify my boss. I just make my work schedule work around taking care of DD.
I do the same when I'm sick, as well. Unless I truly can't do my job, I don't feel the need to notify anyone.
But I'm in a deadline-driven industry, so no one really cares as long as the work gets done.