working from home/childcare question

[oscarnerdjulief]

Please help me assist an old friend with a dilemma.

She taught for around 13 years, had her first child, and ended up quitting teaching because her school district was not cooperative, kids were terrible, she had PPD, etc.  She has been working very hard to find a job in a field that offers better work-life balance for her.

She got a job, I think with a media company of some kind, and she can work from home.  BUT the company is coming very close to demanding that she have child care for her son.  If she has to have childcare, she will end up making a little over $1,000 a month after taxes and childcare while working 40 hours per week.  (She lives in an expensive city in the midwest.)

#1 Is this common practice to say that the child can't be in the home while she's working?  I am not familiar with working from home enough to give good advice, but I am hoping you guys are.  I guess another friend of hers said that the company might even demand canceled checks to prove she had childcare.

#2  Wouldn't this negate one of the major benefits of working from home? 

Would you take this job? I really want to contemplate and give her good advice.  She has been through a lot.   Thank you for your help.

[panicked]

If the job demands that kind of attention, she's going to need childcare. Working from home is great, but it's just that- working.

[patbutcher]

I work from home and although it hasn't been explicitly said, if my boss thought my kid was home with me, I would be in trouble. It is expected that she be in daycare.

And to be honest, the odd time she has not gone in daycare, it has been impossible to get any work done and I can't go on the phone without her screeching in the background


I think you friend should expect to get daycare of some sort.

[hamster]

Of course the company wants to make sure she is, you know, working during work and not collecting a paycheck while she watches her kid.

Honestly, its hard to productively work from him with the DOG. A child would be impossible.

[delawarejen]

1. Yes, it's common practice. They're not paying her to watch her child, they're paying her to work.

2. Working from home with a child there is difficult. Some people manage it with a nanny and a home office, and some people work part-time or on a project basis and can get by with a patchwork of options (working when their spouse is home, working overnight, etc.)

[jerseyjaybird]

1. It is common for WAH positions to require proof of childcare. Not sure about the child not being in the home part---that doesn't sound right. But someone else should be watching the child while she works.

2. How old is her child? How would she be able to work while caring for her child? For me, it's easy to see the employer's perspective here.

[lagom]

Yes, of course this is common. A company expects your full attention while working at home; it isn't a free for all.
I haven't seen where the child isn't allowed to be in the home (your question), but OF COURSE she needs full time childcare (whether in or out of the home).

No, this is not a "benefit" of working from home.

[sporklemotion]

How old are the kids?

I have no direct experience, but I think it's pretty standard to require childcare, at least for small children, for people who work from home. I can't bring my kids to work, you know?

I think the benefits of WFH vs. going, from a child care perspective, are in the time saved commuting (which may mean $ savings) and in flexibility to do small household things during the day (e.g. Throwing in a load of laundry). I would also guess that you can get away without taking time off for the occasional sick day-- I have to stay home when my kid gets sent home from day care, but someone who WFH might not have to.

There is no way I could get a day's work done with either my toddler or my infant in my care, never mind both.

edited to add: whether it's worth it depends on her finances and kids' ages. I could see doing it if kids are close to preschool or school age, as childcare rates are usually lower than they are for infants/toddlers.  If there's a chance for advancement, I might do it just to keep my foot in the door. It also depends where the $1000 would go. An extra $12k a year could be worth it if your budget is tight.

[sometimesrunner]

Requiring the child to have a nanny or go to daycare during working hours is very standard. The company is paying her to work, not be at home with her kid all day. She's still going to benefit from not having to commute, being able to work in her PJs, and being able to do a load of laundry during the day.

[ddi741]

Working from home just means you don't go into an office. Your office location is your home. You absolutely have to have child care. I would think companies that don't require child care are few and far between.

[Mushe]

This is definitely not going to go how you expected. It's normal for an employer to require a WAH parent to have the child in daycare. I have a few friends who have WFH days (1-2/week), and their employers know the kiddos are at home, but I would expect it to be the exception rather than the norm.

Benefits of WFH are avoiding a commute and things like that, not avoiding childcare expense.

[oscarnerdjulief]

Her child is 2.

Thanks for your input. I was unfamiliar with working from home and common practices. Sorry if it seemed to be a stupid question.

[thebulldog]

I don't understand the shock that i am reading that the company is close to "demanding" she have child care.

I mean i might be reading that wrong but this doesn't seem like an unreasonable thing.

Sent from my SM-G900P using proboards

[y4m]

Requiring childcare for people who work from home is extremely common practice and completely logical.

[oscarnerdjulief]

"This is definitely not going to go how you expected."

I did not have any expectations. I wasn't really invested either way. I just had no idea what to tell her and wanted to ask others for input before offering an opinion. Right now, based on all the info I have, I have to look at the finances and say that 12k after taxes is not enough to work a full week. Child care is really steep where they live, negating the benefit of her going back to work. But it depends on what her husband's making...

[oscarnerdjulief]

Jul 7, 2015 16:17:21 GMT -5 thebulldog said:

I don't understand the shock that i am reading that the company is close to "demanding" she have child care.

I mean i might be reading that wrong but this doesn't seem like an unreasonable thing.

Sent from my SM-G900P using proboards

It's not shock.  The words I used ("coming close to demanding") regarding the company is  exactly what was told to me by my friend.  I was quoting.

[ECB]

Just to work from home one day a week, I had to sign a document stating that id have childcare. The reasons why have already been covered.

I don't want to pile on, but really, your friend thinks she can work a full day of work AND watch her kid at the same time? For MOST jobs, it's not realistic.

[y4m]

Jul 7, 2015 16:22:51 GMT -5 oscarnerdjulief said:

"This is definitely not going to go how you expected."

I did not have any expectations. I wasn't really invested either way. I just had no idea what to tell her and wanted to ask others for input before offering an opinion. Right now, based on all the info I have, I have to look at the finances and say that 12k after taxes is not enough to work a full week. Child care is really steep where they live, negating the benefit of her going back to work. But it depends on what her husband's making...

Well, she still has $12K more than she would have otherwise, plus she's keeping her job skills sharp.

I don't think it's realistic for her to expect to work and not have childcare (unless it's off hours or something and her husband can keep the child).  Legitimate jobs don't allow for that.

So how does this job compare to any other she'd qualify for and need to pay for daycare for?  That's the right cost-benefit analysis.  It could be she's taking a pay cut from other things she is qualified for essentially in exchange for the work at home nature, in which case that might not make sense for her. 

[jerseyjaybird]

Jul 7, 2015 16:22:51 GMT -5 oscarnerdjulief said:

"This is definitely not going to go how you expected."

I did not have any expectations. I wasn't really invested either way. I just had no idea what to tell her and wanted to ask others for input before offering an opinion. Right now, based on all the info I have, I have to look at the finances and say that 12k after taxes is not enough to work a full week. Child care is really steep where they live, negating the benefit of her going back to work. But it depends on what her husband's making...

I think it also depends on the benefits package---e.g., if we have kids, my DW's salary will basically cover daycare. BUT being able to have our entire family on her employer's insurance will save us a bundle every month. Plus the 401k match.


 . . . and on her long-term goals (i.e., getting into a new field now and spending less time out of the workforce could be beneficial).

[thatgirl2478]

I worked from home for 3 years with my DD there along with me. It was understood that she was there and that as soon as she became a distraction, I was putting her in daycare. However, my job was also flexible enough that I could work around her nap times. I was also lucky that she was a VERY chill baby and a great sleeper from day one.

If I still had that job there's NO WAY I could keep both kids at home. DD1 needs more entertainment now and DD2 is seriously time consuming.

The main benefit of working from home if you need child care is that you don't have to get up and go into an office, there's no dress code, you can get other small tasks done during the time you'd normally be messing around on the net or talking to co workers. On the other hand it's extremely isolating - I struggled because I didn't have a lot of adult conversations.

FOR ME, 1k a month wouldn't be worth while to put my kid in daycare (even though she'd love it).

[Mushe]

I apologize if my statement was offensive. I read outrage from you on her behalf, and I think I'm not alone given other responses.

I struggle with the income viewed from that lens. I don't SAH because I don't want to, but I also don't assign 100% of the child care cost to my income. Plus, if I stayed home, I wouldn't just be losing the post-tax income, there's the retirement contributions and loss of reputation and promotional opportunities. In my industry, at least, it can be very tough to return to the job force. Besides, if I SAH, I'd want to go to activities during the day as enrichment and eventually preschool for more socialization, so again $$$.

[lagom]

Jul 7, 2015 15:58:21 GMT -5 hamster said:

Of course the company wants to make sure she is, you know, working during work and not collecting a paycheck while she watches her kid.

Honestly, its hard to productively work from him with the DOG. A child would be impossible.

Amen, sisterfriend.  I have to kennel my retriever on a regular basis when I WFH.  Otherwise, he'd be setting a boomerang on my lap every six seconds and growling until he decided it was naptime.  

[boiler717]

It is extremely common to require childcare for WFH jobs, especially those requiring strict hours, phone time, etc. Flexible jobs that would allow for children around are very uncommon.

[polarbearfans]

On days I have worked at home, my cats have made it nearly impossible. I've missed important parts of phone conversations because of them wanting in on the conversation. They get up and block the computer. Start crying for a snack or attention. It's nothing but stressful for me. I cannot imagine trying to care for a child and get work done. Child care is a must whether it is in-home or a daycare.

[msmerymac]

1) Yes, those clauses are very common.
2) There are lots of WFH benefits. She won't have a commute. If she has a dedicated office and can use nanny services, she can still see her child at the beginning and end of the day, and perhaps lunch or for feedings as long as they are conducive to break times. Depending on how her day is structured, she may be able to only use childcare for 5-6 hours (if she works early, or her spouse does).

I agree with others re: pets and working from home. I can kind of see having an infant at home with you if you have a flexible schedule and not a lot of calls or demands. But from becoming mobile until, like, age 7, no way.

ETA: Think of it this way: even if she had a private office at a physical location, she couldn't choose to just bring her kid and watch him while she worked everyday. 

[msmerymac]

Jul 7, 2015 16:22:51 GMT -5 oscarnerdjulief said:

"This is definitely not going to go how you expected."

I did not have any expectations. I wasn't really invested either way. I just had no idea what to tell her and wanted to ask others for input before offering an opinion. Right now, based on all the info I have, I have to look at the finances and say that 12k after taxes is not enough to work a full week. Child care is really steep where they live, negating the benefit of her going back to work. But it depends on what her husband's making...

I mean... the benefit is an extra $12k. And possibly some other perks. And maybe advancing in a career. And engaging in mental stimulation. And making contacts with other people in the field and conversing with coworkers. I guess it depends on what she wants. 

I mean, sure, $12k after expenses wouldn't be enough for me to, say, perform brain surgery. But I'd do plenty of stuff for an extra $1k/month. I just took on some additional contract work that will likely net $1k/month.

[dizzycooks]

Lurker here...
My kids demand my full attention when I SAH. I can barely get a few hours of work a week done at my discretion with them around! Perks of WAH would be no commute, ability to toss in a load of wash, sign for packages, let the dog pee more than once every 12 hours and eating food from my kitchen without packing a lunch.
Oh and yeah 12k. I take home less than that right now, but I suck it up because the long term is worth it and it's good for my family to have 12k right now.

[Velvetshady]

#1) Perfectly normal. As others have said, no company is going to pay someone to care for their own kids.
#2) The benefits of working from home include lower facilities cost for the company, employees tending to work more because they aren't chatting during coffee breaks/socializing/etc and/or because they believe thy have to "prove" they can be as/more productive from home, and employees generally being available beyond the standard office hours. It may also reduce training expenses if you let someone work from home when a spouse has a job transfer vs hiring/training a new employee. And, oh, you might be able to convince your employees that you care about their work/life balance. Employers very rarely do this for he convenience of the employee--any benefits you believe there are for the employee are nice pluses that don't affect the employer and that don't cost them money.

[hamster]

Jul 7, 2015 17:14:12 GMT -5 lagom said:

Jul 7, 2015 15:58:21 GMT -5 hamster said:

Of course the company wants to make sure she is, you know, working during work and not collecting a paycheck while she watches her kid.

Honestly, its hard to productively work from him with the DOG. A child would be impossible.

Amen, sisterfriend.  I have to kennel my retriever on a regular basis when I WFH.  Otherwise, he'd be setting a boomerang on my lap every six seconds and growling until he decided it was naptime.  

Wyatt will wake up out of a dead sleep and grab a squeeky toy the second I get on the phone.

[drloretta]

Jul 7, 2015 15:54:33 GMT -5 oscarnerdjulief said:

Please help me assist an old friend with a dilemma.


#1 Is this common practice to say that the child can't be in the home while she's working?  I am not familiar with working from home enough to give good advice, but I am hoping you guys are.  I guess another friend of hers said that the company might even demand canceled checks to prove she had childcare.Um, yes. At the very least she should have someone watching her child, even if the child and the caregiver are elsewhere in the house. I can't imagine having a small child crying over something while trying to deal with a conference call or actually get any work done.

#2  Wouldn't this negate one of the major benefits of working from home?  No. She's not getting paid to watch her kids, she's getting paid to do work. Whether that's at home or in an office. She needs childcare.

Would you take this job? Yes, and I did. I work from home full time. DD is in preschool, and when it's over she either stays in aftercare or we have a girl from the local college pick her up and hang out with her until I'm done with work. We hired someone to come 9-5 during her gap between preschool and camp this summer.ETA: I freelanced for 4 years with a kiddo at home, but that was more of a "figure out when you can get this done, we need it by next Tuesday" deal. I could work during DD's naps or in the evenings/early mornings, and it worked out great. It just wasn't consistent enough. $12K would have been just about perfect.My SIL runs her own business and has never had child care. So she works at 1am and is chronically sleep deprived. No thank you.