I think the people who ask secretaries or administrative support staff to care for their sick kid are assholes. They really can't say no...I mean even if you ask them, if they say no it's going to consciously or unconsciously follow them. They want to be a team player, so they truly have to say yes. Don't do it.
Well, I don't have kids, so I haven't done it, but I would do it if I had a kid, had to be in court, and had absolutely, positively, no other option. Secretaries at my firm make medical appointments, pick up dry cleaning, make hair appointments, get food for the attorneys, arrange for dog adoptions, make personal travel arrangements, etc. Whatever is needed to free up attorney time, they do. On top of that, my relationship with my secretary is such that I absolutely know she would offer without me asking. On the flipside, when she has needed emergency childcare, I have never had a problem with her having her daughter in the office and have offered up my personal office for her daughter to hang out in.
For me, this is 100% hypothetical ~ I don't have a child, and I have a husband who works from home, and will have a nanny, so there's about 5 million layers between me and needing super duper emergency child care. But if I were a single mother, I absolutely would not want to work for an employer that would not have my back if I needed help.
Post by Melissa W. on Sept 11, 2012 13:08:32 GMT -5
My male boss suggested that I bring my girls in on a Saturday. My immediate reaction was to laugh in his face and ask if he wanted me to get anything done. Luckily, we can be that candid.
In my office, kids are okay in rare instances. At the casino, it would never fly.