Babies in the workplace
June 2nd, 2008
There’s an article printed recently at the Boston Globe about parents bringing babies to work with them.
Proponents hail the idea as a workplace morale-booster, along with a needed benefit in a country lacking in affordable child care. At least 100 mostly small businesses nationwide now offer the benefit, according to the online nonprofit Parenting in the Workplace Institute. But naysayers call parenting and working a poor mix, and say infants are an unwanted distraction for employees.
I think letting children occupy the same space as working adults would be too distracting for most people and offices. I work in an office with open air seating arrangement and it can be hard to concentrate on work with all the adult babies running around. Adding a small child to the mix would surely mean a drop in productivity. For me anyway. Sounds like they know how to make it work for some people and offices though.
At the Cabot, Vt.-based children’s clothing maker Zutano, parents bringing a baby to work are moved into private offices for the duration and forbidden by company policy from creating a “disruptive situation.” For safety reasons, mainly administrative staff, who make up about two-thirds of the 31-person workforce, are eligible.
Still… in the office with you while you’re working? No thanks. However, if my company provided a daycare at the office, I would definitely take advantage of that. Being able to stop in and check on my child when I had free moments during the day, spending my lunch time with my child and knowing where my child is and that s/he is safe would be an extremely attractive company benefit.
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