I think it would be ideal if everyone could be afforded the flexibility they need in their own lives for whatever they might wish to do, but I don’t think this take is a very good one.
The reason parents are often given these benefits is because there is an understanding that there is a literal human being’s life on the line, and that this person cares incredibly strongly about that child.
I might care a lot about an event I want to go to, but when it comes down to it, any boss would probably pick making sure a parent can pick their kid up from school over me being able to go a concert or something.
If everyone had a kid tomorrow, you’d probably see a lot of these benefits not be offered as freely, considering how businesses would simply just be understaffed to handle that much demand for flexibility, skipping certain hours, schedule changes, etc.
All that said though, there is still room for benefits and additional flexibility to be afforded to workers… if corporations are willing to spend extra money on more staff, better accommodations like not requiring in-office work when the work only requires being on a computer all day, stuff like that.
On the one hand you are absolutely correct about these accommodations being for the benefit of the children
On the other hand, if your employer is denying your reasonable request for PTO, or denying accommodations in an emergency unrelated to children, then your company is already understaffed.
Any employer that can’t handle the sudden absence of an employee is failing at management and is not somewhere I would want to continue working. If your shift needs everyone to show up or things fall apart, run for the hills.
As a patent of a small child, without some benefits in the form of flexibility in hours (not in output) either I or my partner wouldn’t be able to work without external help.
Those who can’t afford the help sometimes have to “work for free” because some hours they work just go to somebody to be with their children.
The shitty part is that (anecdotically based on my experience) those who complaint about any benefit for patents are the same who consider selfish to not have children.
I think it would be ideal if everyone could be afforded the flexibility they need in their own lives for whatever they might wish to do, but I don’t think this take is a very good one.
The reason parents are often given these benefits is because there is an understanding that there is a literal human being’s life on the line, and that this person cares incredibly strongly about that child.
I might care a lot about an event I want to go to, but when it comes down to it, any boss would probably pick making sure a parent can pick their kid up from school over me being able to go a concert or something.
If everyone had a kid tomorrow, you’d probably see a lot of these benefits not be offered as freely, considering how businesses would simply just be understaffed to handle that much demand for flexibility, skipping certain hours, schedule changes, etc.
All that said though, there is still room for benefits and additional flexibility to be afforded to workers… if corporations are willing to spend extra money on more staff, better accommodations like not requiring in-office work when the work only requires being on a computer all day, stuff like that.
On the one hand you are absolutely correct about these accommodations being for the benefit of the children
On the other hand, if your employer is denying your reasonable request for PTO, or denying accommodations in an emergency unrelated to children, then your company is already understaffed.
Any employer that can’t handle the sudden absence of an employee is failing at management and is not somewhere I would want to continue working. If your shift needs everyone to show up or things fall apart, run for the hills.
As a patent of a small child, without some benefits in the form of flexibility in hours (not in output) either I or my partner wouldn’t be able to work without external help.
Those who can’t afford the help sometimes have to “work for free” because some hours they work just go to somebody to be with their children.
The shitty part is that (anecdotically based on my experience) those who complaint about any benefit for patents are the same who consider selfish to not have children.
Good take. I have just three things to add: