RTO and No Childcare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how employees in private sectors handle all these childcare issues post-covid? For example, nurses, EMTs, polce officiers, teachers, supermarket workers, factory workers, etc.

Honestly, these people never took their kids out of childcare because they have never done WFH. They don’t have to worry about waitlists, etc. because they never gave up their child care slots to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how employees in private sectors handle all these childcare issues post-covid? For example, nurses, EMTs, polce officiers, teachers, supermarket workers, factory workers, etc.

Well, they often leave kids home alone, occasionally with an older (ie., 10 year old) child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What all companies should do is have 6-2 shifts and 10-6 shifts. That way one parent can cover the morning duties and the other parent can cover after school duties.

This is what will end up happening. After people stop panicking, and DOGE doesn’t change the standard workday to 8-6, people will flex their office time (within reason, they aren’t going to let people start their day at 4 am or noon) to meet their needs. It can be done. Yes, it sucks more than WFH when you have kids that need to be shuttled places after school, but one parent starts their workday at 7 and leaves at 3 and the other starts at 9:30 and leaves at 5:30. It’s really ok. We all did it before, you can do it too.

But why should we? If there was a business need then sure, but why should we go back to the old way of doing things? In what other aspect of life are we ignoring technological advancement to go backwards in time?

And I’ll be a honest, I don’t want to do this. This isn’t a lifestyle I’m interested in. I didn’t commute 5x/week even before COVID. I also don’t want to work for minimum wage, work for a crappy boss, etc. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for employees to say this is a dealbreaker for me.

This may mean looking for another job, which you clearly don’t care about, but I don’t need some patronizing reassurance that I’m able to do it too. Like I know I am capable of all sorts of stuff I don’t want to do. Those of us with options to work elsewhere can say no to this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before covid, if wanting maximum flexibility was a priority, it meant finding something self employed or an independent contractor. You give up the benefits of stable employment with benefits.

For many it also meant taking a lower paying government job. My agency has out kicked its coverage with hiring thanks to the telework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how employees in private sectors handle all these childcare issues post-covid? For example, nurses, EMTs, polce officiers, teachers, supermarket workers, factory workers, etc.

Honestly, these people never took their kids out of childcare because they have never done WFH. They don’t have to worry about waitlists, etc. because they never gave up their child care slots to begin with.

I can't believe you cite this reason. Most kids of these parents in childcare pre-covid should be out of childcare by now (that's 5 yrs ago).

Some of them must have put their kids in childcare the first time after covid. How did they do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People forget that before COVID working from home agreements stated you must have childcare if you have minor children at home and you are working from home. That was relaxed during COVID because of labor shortages and the fact no one wanted to work. However that time has passed so you must have childcare at home or take PTO.

Thanks HR. That's not what this thread is about. Try reading.

The point is that a cushy govt job funded by tax payers shouldn't subsidize your childcare costs

That “cushy” government job pays well below market rate for many employees with high levels of education. The flexibility *is* part of the compensation. If you effectively decrease people’s pay that will affect recruitment and retention. Which clearly you are ok with.

But literally everybody’s job is “subsidizing” aka paying for their life expenses in some way.

Before COVID govt workers came in 5 days a week and there are childcare options tied to the govt building. So yes nut up or shut up

[Anonymous]

When we had children we planned on childcare costs and didn't have the option of wfh and watching children at the same time as that is illegal still. So time to plan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People forget that before COVID working from home agreements stated you must have childcare if you have minor children at home and you are working from home. That was relaxed during COVID because of labor shortages and the fact no one wanted to work. However that time has passed so you must have childcare at home or take PTO.

Thanks HR. That's not what this thread is about. Try reading.

The point is that a cushy govt job funded by tax payers shouldn't subsidize your childcare costs

That “cushy” government job pays well below market rate for many employees with high levels of education. The flexibility *is* part of the compensation. If you effectively decrease people’s pay that will affect recruitment and retention. Which clearly you are ok with.

But literally everybody’s job is “subsidizing” aka paying for their life expenses in some way.

Before COVID govt workers came in 5 days a week and there are childcare options tied to the govt building. So yes nut up or shut up

That's not true at all. Before covid during Trump 1.0, I came in 4 days per week and teleworked one. Before Trump, the teleworking was more extensive. My building has no childcare, and waitlists for government childcare in another building are extensive.

Maybe you need some help with your nuts or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The RTO push is largely to try to get all workers in and working at the same time.

Schools and afterschool programs will need to expand and add classrooms again. When Covid happened and people stopped using the services there wasn’t a reason to keep staff around and so many of these programs were cut entirely or reduced. If parents need to be back in the office is the same programs will need to be expanded again. They will need staff to work so if there’s a proper ratios. And that will need to happen first, so that kids have somewhere to be when their parents go back to the office. This needs to be a planned effort.

I think parents will quit or change jobs before this happens on a large scale again. People don’t want that lifestyle anymore.

It's not just that ....this is someone who is so completely disengaged from raising children that they haven't had to interact with anybody who's in hiring capacity for any type of daycare or child Care facility people cannot find staff to work these jobs because you can get paid better at Chick-fil-A.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are a lot of women employed FT in professional careers really saying they have no childcare? That's not what I've seen on DCUM. People are often talking about the extra time for commuting and difference of being out of the house. So like a 10yp may come home from school and not have childcare from 4-5pm because they can entertain themselves while parent works. But the parent may not want them actually alone in the house. It's a childcare gap. Same with the mornings before school opens - I would need beforecare to RTO and it might not be available this school year (already full). Or preschool may close at 5pm but with commute I'd get home later than that, etc.

WFH necessitates childcare if you have a real job but can be for fewer hours, or you cover the occasional days off and breaks without always taking PTO etc

OP here - I consider a childcare gap a lack of childcare. Before or after school care programs are not going to quickly sprout up.

+1
And even if kids can entertain themselves a bit or parents find programs, the kids can't magically transport themselves and they can't drive yet. So parents (all parents, dads too) need that flexibility after school. Strict RTO mean that these good employees will no longer be bending backwards to check mails and handle things after business hours.

I think you’re ranting about things you have no idea about. Kids can’t transport themselves? The aftercare programs all have buses and vans that pick up at our school. Parents don’t need to drive their kids to ballet or karate or gymnastics.

I'm so glad your data point of one is universal.

What school doesn't have that? Give us an example.

Our public elementary in DCPS definitely does want have transportation to activities.

Elementary school kids don’t need to be bused to activities. aftercare is fine.

It is fine. But it’s not great.

Being able to come right home from school to play with neighborhood friends, go to an extracurricular that they’re interested in, or even just have some free play is better. I know being out of the house 45-50 hours/week (i.e. 8-5:30/6) is tiring for many adults, I wouldn’t choose this for a young elementary kid. It is fine if it is what you have to do, but let’s not act like this is more ideal than kids getting to play soccer, learn an instrument, take tutoring classes, go to scouts meetings, etc. and having a family meal together.

if that’s your ideal AND you want both parents to work FT, you need a better plan than assuming that covid-era telework (for positions that are not actually fully remote) will last forever.

I have some millennial coworkers who had kids and bought houses way out in the burbs during covid. I feel for them but truly, they shouldn’t have counted on max telework lasting indefinitely. I also have a GenX coworker who relocated across the country during covid - at least she fully knows she’ll be terminated when they eventually catch up to her.

Except the plan had gone fine for over a decade now …

All of you calling telework a “COVID era” thing are really behind the times. My DH is in the private sector and has had some form of telework (either hybrid or full time like now) since at least 2010.

But that hasn't been allowed for feds except for at the height of the pandemic. And the pp didn't describe telework. She described bailing from work mid-afternoon to take her kids to practices and activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how employees in private sectors handle all these childcare issues post-covid? For example, nurses, EMTs, polce officiers, teachers, supermarket workers, factory workers, etc.

Honestly, these people never took their kids out of childcare because they have never done WFH. They don’t have to worry about waitlists, etc. because they never gave up their child care slots to begin with.

I can't believe you cite this reason. Most kids of these parents in childcare pre-covid should be out of childcare by now (that's 5 yrs ago).

Some of them must have put their kids in childcare the first time after covid. How did they do it?

The jobs listed can be shift workers, so some might trade off childcare with a spouse or other family members. And yes, some just use regular childcare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What all companies should do is have 6-2 shifts and 10-6 shifts. That way one parent can cover the morning duties and the other parent can cover after school duties.

This is what will end up happening. After people stop panicking, and DOGE doesn’t change the standard workday to 8-6, people will flex their office time (within reason, they aren’t going to let people start their day at 4 am or noon) to meet their needs. It can be done. Yes, it sucks more than WFH when you have kids that need to be shuttled places after school, but one parent starts their workday at 7 and leaves at 3 and the other starts at 9:30 and leaves at 5:30. It’s really ok. We all did it before, you can do it too.

Crabs in a bucket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how employees in private sectors handle all these childcare issues post-covid? For example, nurses, EMTs, polce officiers, teachers, supermarket workers, factory workers, etc.

Honestly, these people never took their kids out of childcare because they have never done WFH. They don’t have to worry about waitlists, etc. because they never gave up their child care slots to begin with.

They put their kids in illegal daycares or have young grandparents generally who don’t have careers and were laid off at 55 or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are a lot of women employed FT in professional careers really saying they have no childcare? That's not what I've seen on DCUM. People are often talking about the extra time for commuting and difference of being out of the house. So like a 10yp may come home from school and not have childcare from 4-5pm because they can entertain themselves while parent works. But the parent may not want them actually alone in the house. It's a childcare gap. Same with the mornings before school opens - I would need beforecare to RTO and it might not be available this school year (already full). Or preschool may close at 5pm but with commute I'd get home later than that, etc.

WFH necessitates childcare if you have a real job but can be for fewer hours, or you cover the occasional days off and breaks without always taking PTO etc

OP here - I consider a childcare gap a lack of childcare. Before or after school care programs are not going to quickly sprout up.

+1
And even if kids can entertain themselves a bit or parents find programs, the kids can't magically transport themselves and they can't drive yet. So parents (all parents, dads too) need that flexibility after school. Strict RTO mean that these good employees will no longer be bending backwards to check mails and handle things after business hours.

I think you’re ranting about things you have no idea about. Kids can’t transport themselves? The aftercare programs all have buses and vans that pick up at our school. Parents don’t need to drive their kids to ballet or karate or gymnastics.

I'm so glad your data point of one is universal.

What school doesn't have that? Give us an example.

Our public elementary in DCPS definitely does want have transportation to activities.

Elementary school kids don’t need to be bused to activities. aftercare is fine.

It is fine. But it’s not great.

Being able to come right home from school to play with neighborhood friends, go to an extracurricular that they’re interested in, or even just have some free play is better. I know being out of the house 45-50 hours/week (i.e. 8-5:30/6) is tiring for many adults, I wouldn’t choose this for a young elementary kid. It is fine if it is what you have to do, but let’s not act like this is more ideal than kids getting to play soccer, learn an instrument, take tutoring classes, go to scouts meetings, etc. and having a family meal together.

if that’s your ideal AND you want both parents to work FT, you need a better plan than assuming that covid-era telework (for positions that are not actually fully remote) will last forever.

I have some millennial coworkers who had kids and bought houses way out in the burbs during covid. I feel for them but truly, they shouldn’t have counted on max telework lasting indefinitely. I also have a GenX coworker who relocated across the country during covid - at least she fully knows she’ll be terminated when they eventually catch up to her.

Except the plan had gone fine for over a decade now …

All of you calling telework a “COVID era” thing are really behind the times. My DH is in the private sector and has had some form of telework (either hybrid or full time like now) since at least 2010.

But that hasn't been allowed for feds except for at the height of the pandemic. And the pp didn't describe telework. She described bailing from work mid-afternoon to take her kids to practices and activities.[/quote/]

What specifically hasn't been happening except for at the height of the pandemic? Regular telework has been a thing for feds for at least 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how employees in private sectors handle all these childcare issues post-covid? For example, nurses, EMTs, polce officiers, teachers, supermarket workers, factory workers, etc.

Honestly, these people never took their kids out of childcare because they have never done WFH. They don’t have to worry about waitlists, etc. because they never gave up their child care slots to begin with.

I can't believe you cite this reason. Most kids of these parents in childcare pre-covid should be out of childcare by now (that's 5 yrs ago).

Some of them must have put their kids in childcare the first time after covid. How did they do it?

Also, many of us didn’t “give up” our childcare slots during covid. Our kids LOST their slots because their childcare centers were either closed or the capacity was drastically reduced.