Bringing Baby to Work
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For over a decade, I freelanced for a family friendly company that allowed me to bring my children to work. Yes, I did say children. It was not uncommon to see me working with an infant on my back while my toddlers played or colored at my feet.
It appears that my employer was not alone in extending this option to employees. A newly established Parenting in the Workplace Institute has a database of over 70 employers who allow such arrangements. They claim that they are adding companies on a daily basis.
According to the article, advocates acknowledge that such arrangements wouldn’t work well with all jobs, or babies for that matter. Benefits of such arrangements include an increase in employee morale, increases in productivity, and also a greater bonding between parent and child.
I have to admit though, I do not believe that working with your infant is an option for everyone. It required a lot of organization and effort at times on my part as well as a penchant for impromptu creative thinking and problem solving. I remember interviewing a prospective employee on the phone just as my daughter started to scream hysterically. With nothing else at hand, I threw the candy I had at the desk on the floor(yuck) and let her gather it up. Luckily, the interview ended before I ran out of candy.
Are you considering approaching your employer about such an arrangement? Carefully weigh both the pros and the cons and consider talking with parents who actually have worked with their children before taking the plunge.
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