Parent friendly workplaces

[Anonymous]

What types of orgs are parent friendly? I recently started a new job at a large non-profit in a highly technical field. It is surprisingly very rigid and not very flexible. I don't understand how working parents make it work - in fact, the only working parent on my team was recently let go and I only have met one manager who is a working mother.

I'm engaged and hope to have a kid in 2-3 years. What types of organizations. or companies are more accommodating for working parents, especially those of young kids? I think that if I have a kid while working at this organization, I will be let go eventually because of how inflexible they are - little sick time and strongly encouraged to not use it or all your vacation time, no flexibility on working hours for doctors appointments, etc. I don't see how I can manage a kid here even if I use daycare.

[Anonymous]

What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

[Anonymous]

Not .gov

[Anonymous]

You have to interview and find out how many working parents there are. Especially women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

Two days. But if childcare is canceled, you need to take care of your child. My former coworker who is a mother of a five year old and a three year old was told she takes too much time off during her PIP meeting before being let go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

Your kid will be constantly sick. You need back up care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

Two days. But if childcare is canceled, you need to take care of your child. My former coworker who is a mother of a five year old and a three year old was told she takes too much time off during her PIP meeting before being let go.

How good was she otherwise?

This is a tricky thing because taking time off is easily quantifiable and documentable, so it is often a catch all for performance issues. From what I’ve seen, stellar performers at a private company where I work are accommodated with respect to childcare issues.

[Anonymous]

Foreign embassies in DC with a year plus maternity leave. The best of both worlds!

[Anonymous]

I work at a mid-sized law firm that is very parent friendly. We have a pumping room with a lock, couch, sink and fridge. On Friday my coworker opened a meeting saying she had a hard stop at 4pm to go get her kids. I have seen two male partners passing an infant back and forth while chatting in the hallway, while the infant's mother was in a meeting. One of my coworkers works a split-shift - half during the day and half after her kid goes to sleep at night. I went into a partner's office and his 12 yr old daughter was in there reading her book - she was there for the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

Two days. But if childcare is canceled, you need to take care of your child. My former coworker who is a mother of a five year old and a three year old was told she takes too much time off during her PIP meeting before being let go.

Is your workplace using unlimited PTO? If she used her accrued PTO and work got done, why is it a problem? She will take those PTOs anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

Two days. But if childcare is canceled, you need to take care of your child. My former coworker who is a mother of a five year old and a three year old was told she takes too much time off during her PIP meeting before being let go.

How good was she otherwise?

This is a tricky thing because taking time off is easily quantifiable and documentable, so it is often a catch all for performance issues. From what I’ve seen, stellar performers at a private company where I work are accommodated with respect to childcare issues.

I felt she was average, not excellent, but certainly not being let go level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

Two days. But if childcare is canceled, you need to take care of your child. My former coworker who is a mother of a five year old and a three year old was told she takes too much time off during her PIP meeting before being let go.

Is your workplace using unlimited PTO? If she used her accrued PTO and work got done, why is it a problem? She will take those PTOs anyway.

We accrue PTO, but it’s heavily frowned upon to take all the PTO we are actually offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly do you mean by “parent friendly”? Have you looked at the Washingtonian magazine’s Best Places to Work issues?

I mostly mean being able to take time off when infants/toddlers are sick and daycare makes me pick them up and I have to use sick time. Also, being able to take them to doctors appointments and being able to use sick time or flex time. I've worked places before whereas long as I put my time in and work got done, I would never be hurt by taking time off. So it's not remote work that I care about (I'm hybrid), it's about realizing that kid things came up and the employer being flexible. This new organization is not like that at all for others and it's not even a for-profit company.

How many days a week you can telework with the hybrid schedule?

Two days. But if childcare is canceled, you need to take care of your child. My former coworker who is a mother of a five year old and a three year old was told she takes too much time off during her PIP meeting before being let go.

Is your workplace using unlimited PTO? If she used her accrued PTO and work got done, why is it a problem? She will take those PTOs anyway.

We accrue PTO, but it’s heavily frowned upon to take all the PTO we are actually offered.

Can you carry all your unused PTOs to next the year? Does the organization pay unused PTOs when you leave?