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Sound familiar? These days, so many parents and caregivers are fed up with their children getting sick. What makes matters worse is the general workplace expectation that we should work from home when we or our children are sick.
But what happens unofficially is another story. In our new world of remote work, bosses and co-workers seem to assume they will continue to work from home when their children are sick, rather than taking vacations officially provided by their employers. My mother’s friend keeps telling me. Even though they let co-workers know they’re taking care of a sick child, co-workers keep calling and emailing to see when certain tasks will be completed via Zoom. Say you are asking if you can join the call.
Adding to the challenge is the fact that some viruses that are circulating these days tend to cause high fevers. It is for us to make an appointment, but not wait for it, but instead take us to the clinic immediately. In this situation, it is not possible to join the conference call at the same time.
Importantly, colleagues respect that staff may not be able to maintain normal workloads or hours when a child is sick. Employers should encourage workers to turn off power when necessary.
In addition to communicating such norms and policies, supervisors should model them by not working when sick. Also, staff should be encouraged to work together and help each other when this happens. These companies are probably the kind of companies most of us would love to work for. Therefore, these policies may benefit by leaving happier and more loyal employees.
It is unreasonable to expect employees to continue working normally when they or their children are sick. With so many of us battling an onslaught of disease, changing these expectations would make the workplace healthier.
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