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TRENDS
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Kids On
The Job
By Laurie Burstein
What to do with the kids when the babysitter is sick or when there
are a few hours in-between childcare has always been a juggling
act for working parents. But in today’s “family-friendly” work environment,
parents are finding employers increasingly accommodating when it
comes to bringing children into the workplace. More employers have
informal policies that allow employees to bring their kids to work
as a last resort.
Above:
Four-year-old Kiera Hauser stays busy drawing pictures while
her Mom, Julie Hauser, owner of the Hauser Group, consults with
a client on the phone.
Barb Slavkin of June Roesslein Interiors says her company has quite
a few employees who sometimes bring their kids to work until another
family member can pick them up. “While it can’t be an everyday occurrence,
family really does come first and there is an understanding here
that sometimes parents get into a bind and need to bring their kids
in,” Slavkin says.
Slavkin, who has been with the company for 12 years and is now executive
vice president, says no one at the company has taken advantage of
the unwritten policy. She further explains that this type of informal
policy builds a sense of gratitude for the employer and makes it
easier for employees to give 100 percent at work. There are even
toys to help keep kids occupied when they come in.
Mack Bradley, a vice president at The Vandiver Group, a public relations
firm with 19 employees owned by Donna Vandiver, is the proud father
of 13-month old Grace. A few weeks ago, his wife was on the way
to the airport for a business trip and dropped off their daughter
at his office. “Sometimes the logistics of two working parents makes
it necessary to bring your children to work,” says Bradley who brings
his daughter in once every few months.
Bradley says for him, part of a good work environment means having
the flexibility to bring children in when all other childcare options
fail. “More employers recognize that this kind of kid-friendly environment
is very important. As long as employees use good judgment, this
really can work.”
But can employees get any work done while kids are at the office?
Bradley says he can answer e-mails or do paperwork or even have
a short internal meeting, but acknowledges it’s hard to have a lengthy
phone conversation. He keeps a bag of toys in his office for Grace
and the days she’s there, work that doesn’t get done he finishes
at home.
As a mother and business owner of a small public relations firm,
Julie Hauser also takes her kids to work on occasion. One day her
4-year-old daughter Kiera had a “tummy ache” and didn’t want to
go to school. Hauser knew there was nothing seriously wrong and
decided to let her daughter come to the office. As a business owner,
she finds that both her clients and employees are very understanding.
“I’ve always been very open with my clients about my children. Many
of them have kids too, and they know that sometimes our personal
and professional lives overlap. My clients have been very accepting
and even encouraging in this regard,” Hauser says.
She adds that her four employees enjoy having her kids in the office.
In the past her daughter drew pictures for everyone’s office door.
“Sometimes having children at work provides some light relief from
the stress of the day,” Hauser says.
As an employer, Hauser explains the key is to remain flexible. And
even though her employees do not yet have children, she expects
they will someday and plans to have an accommodating workplace.
On the days that employees do bring their kids to work, all say
to be sure and bring extra books and toys to keep the children entertained.
And when employees need to have an important business conversation,
they suggest popping in their child’s favorite video in the conference
room.
Laurie Burstein is a St. Louis-based
free-lance writer. |
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