Given the unexpected interruptions to the working day which children can present – school holidays, a sudden illness, childcare falling through – the fact that parents can take up to four weeks of unpaid leave per child per year can be very handy.
But how does that work in reality? It leaves that parent’s colleagues to pick up the slack, which can become a source of resentment. And more than that, the existence of that unpaid leave can mean that parents – especially mothers – end up seeing their career progression stall as they spend more time away from work.
So, have working parents got it harder than ever? Mothers Emily Watkins and Charlie Bond, and work academic Adam Webster, give their perspectives.
If life began and ended at the office, then sure, there’d be no question that parents get “too much” time off compared to their child-free colleagues. What other non-fireable reason is there to down tools in the middle of the working day and bolt?
And who could deny the unfairness for those left holding the work-baby while a team member attends to their real one? Deadlines and workloads don’t change just because one person has gone home – ergo, your colleague Stacey’s snotty son means more for you to do, no two ways about it.
