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semiotic_pirateYeah. So I am discovering that this is a THING.
My workplace, that will not be named, touts itself as "family friendly" and pats itself on the back when it talks about "flexible hours" and even makes a point to let you know that they have a network set up so that you can work from home when needed.
WELL. Needless to say, and you can certainly tell when you've already been clued in by the subject line of this post, this DOES NOT APPLY to people without children.
Governor declares a state of emergency, announces that state roads will be closed due to hazardous conditions linked to snow falling so rapidly that it is UNSAFE to travel. Governor actually is quoted as saying "if your employees have the ability to work from home, encourage them to do so". When I told my supervisor these facts, I got an email back stating that [regardless of what I was told in my original interview and history of occasionally working remotely from home (WRFH)] the CEO doesn't really like it and that if I felt unsafe enough to WRFH in this situation I could put the hours in the system as ANNUAL LEAVE regardless of whether I put in 8-hours or not.
That was just the most egregious (and skirting the line of being illegal) occurrence.
Need to work from home b/c your kid is sick? NO PROBLEM. Need to work from home b/c you need to be there to sign for a package (holiday gift which you KNOW will not be delivered on time if you have to request a "re-delivery")? NOPE. Need to work from home b/c you husband is sick and you would feel better making sure he pushed fluids, etc (having been a former EMT and knowing about these things)? NOPE (and get made fun of about it repeatedly). Need to work from home b/c you yourself are sick enough not to want to come in and spread it but not sick enough to lay helpless in bed? Well, yeah, you can WRFH but you have to put into the timesheet system the hours you worked AND 8 hours of sick leave.
And you start seeing this build up and you keep banging your head against the wall b/c you KNOW that this shit isn't kosher.
But wait! There's more!
Want to come in at 9:30am every day b/c you put your kid on the bus? GREAT! Want to come in at 9:30 every morning b/c that's when traffic is at its low point and you can just put it on cruise control the whole way in and it's good for your gas mileage, blood pressure and peace of mind? NOPE. Sit in traffic or come in EVEN EARLIER!
Oh. Know how your co-worker comes in around the same time every day and is out the door by 4:30 at the latest b/c she's gotta drop off and pick up her kids? And how she never gets shit for never getting all her work done? And how you will work nights and weekends to make sure all your work gets done on time with enough time for your various bosses to read and pass them on and get the reports approved by their supervisors... No one ever seems to really appreciate that, but you have a work ethic that makes you need to clear that stuff off your plate and just get it done.
Just the tip of the iceberg people.
So I decide to run a google search, having heard of childfree (as a group of people) before here on LJ. I've found articles about discrimination against the childfree (whether it is by choice or as a result of infertility or youth, whatever) from 2011-2013; peer reviewed journals, newspaper articles, blogs, the whole range of the publishing spectrum and sourced from around the globe too.
Pardon my not remembering how to do the html code to embed links. Wait! What's this?! A whole bunch of ways to incorporate code w/out having to remember how to do it manually?! OOOOOOHHH! On with the links:
Psychology Today - Complete without kids
Babycenter Blog - When in doubt, blame the childless people
Daily Mail - Why should childless women work longer hours?
NY Magazine - Childless women would like work life balance too
We're not having a baby - employment discrimination against the childfree
New Statesman - Childfree are seen as unicorns
The Note Mom - Childless Discrimination
That's right, even the Christian Conservatives have something to say about the subject:
Christian Pundit - Discrimination against the childfree
Look. I've got nothing against people with children. I like them, usually. I like to be the Cool Aunt. I just don't want any myself. I support parental leave, and for it to be longer. I don't mind that my coworker drops their kids off at daycare or waits with them for the bus and has to leave by a certain time to go make sure they get home safe.
This reminds me of the disparity between those that smoked and those that didn't with the former getting smoke breaks in addition to their other, legally mandated breaks. Also now reminded now (since I decided to watch Veronica Mars, finally) of those pesky Patriot Points that only certain students got at Neptune High (go Tritons!).
Apparently, I'm a unicorn. Time for this unicorn to grow some wings and initiate a search for greener, lusher, less discriminatory pastures.
My workplace, that will not be named, touts itself as "family friendly" and pats itself on the back when it talks about "flexible hours" and even makes a point to let you know that they have a network set up so that you can work from home when needed.
WELL. Needless to say, and you can certainly tell when you've already been clued in by the subject line of this post, this DOES NOT APPLY to people without children.
Governor declares a state of emergency, announces that state roads will be closed due to hazardous conditions linked to snow falling so rapidly that it is UNSAFE to travel. Governor actually is quoted as saying "if your employees have the ability to work from home, encourage them to do so". When I told my supervisor these facts, I got an email back stating that [regardless of what I was told in my original interview and history of occasionally working remotely from home (WRFH)] the CEO doesn't really like it and that if I felt unsafe enough to WRFH in this situation I could put the hours in the system as ANNUAL LEAVE regardless of whether I put in 8-hours or not.
That was just the most egregious (and skirting the line of being illegal) occurrence.
Need to work from home b/c your kid is sick? NO PROBLEM. Need to work from home b/c you need to be there to sign for a package (holiday gift which you KNOW will not be delivered on time if you have to request a "re-delivery")? NOPE. Need to work from home b/c you husband is sick and you would feel better making sure he pushed fluids, etc (having been a former EMT and knowing about these things)? NOPE (and get made fun of about it repeatedly). Need to work from home b/c you yourself are sick enough not to want to come in and spread it but not sick enough to lay helpless in bed? Well, yeah, you can WRFH but you have to put into the timesheet system the hours you worked AND 8 hours of sick leave.
And you start seeing this build up and you keep banging your head against the wall b/c you KNOW that this shit isn't kosher.
But wait! There's more!
Want to come in at 9:30am every day b/c you put your kid on the bus? GREAT! Want to come in at 9:30 every morning b/c that's when traffic is at its low point and you can just put it on cruise control the whole way in and it's good for your gas mileage, blood pressure and peace of mind? NOPE. Sit in traffic or come in EVEN EARLIER!
Oh. Know how your co-worker comes in around the same time every day and is out the door by 4:30 at the latest b/c she's gotta drop off and pick up her kids? And how she never gets shit for never getting all her work done? And how you will work nights and weekends to make sure all your work gets done on time with enough time for your various bosses to read and pass them on and get the reports approved by their supervisors... No one ever seems to really appreciate that, but you have a work ethic that makes you need to clear that stuff off your plate and just get it done.
Just the tip of the iceberg people.
So I decide to run a google search, having heard of childfree (as a group of people) before here on LJ. I've found articles about discrimination against the childfree (whether it is by choice or as a result of infertility or youth, whatever) from 2011-2013; peer reviewed journals, newspaper articles, blogs, the whole range of the publishing spectrum and sourced from around the globe too.
Pardon my not remembering how to do the html code to embed links. Wait! What's this?! A whole bunch of ways to incorporate code w/out having to remember how to do it manually?! OOOOOOHHH! On with the links:
Psychology Today - Complete without kids
Babycenter Blog - When in doubt, blame the childless people
Daily Mail - Why should childless women work longer hours?
NY Magazine - Childless women would like work life balance too
We're not having a baby - employment discrimination against the childfree
New Statesman - Childfree are seen as unicorns
The Note Mom - Childless Discrimination
That's right, even the Christian Conservatives have something to say about the subject:
Christian Pundit - Discrimination against the childfree
Look. I've got nothing against people with children. I like them, usually. I like to be the Cool Aunt. I just don't want any myself. I support parental leave, and for it to be longer. I don't mind that my coworker drops their kids off at daycare or waits with them for the bus and has to leave by a certain time to go make sure they get home safe.
This reminds me of the disparity between those that smoked and those that didn't with the former getting smoke breaks in addition to their other, legally mandated breaks. Also now reminded now (since I decided to watch Veronica Mars, finally) of those pesky Patriot Points that only certain students got at Neptune High (go Tritons!).
Apparently, I'm a unicorn. Time for this unicorn to grow some wings and initiate a search for greener, lusher, less discriminatory pastures.
