It's 2023 and we still have baby crying in the background in a Teams meeting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are things that my coworkers now do with absolutely no shame that would have been unheard of pre-pandemic. I love working from home, I do. But I agree with OP that if we don't maintain some kind of professionalism, our employers are going to start requiring we just go back in.

1) one of my coworkers REFUSES to get childcare of any sort so every meeting or call we have is centered around her child's nap or feeding schedule.
2) coworkers stop the meeting/call to discipline their kids with no regard that none of us on the call want to wait for this S show.
3) kids interrupt the meetings to talk to me. I love kids. I really do. I have my own. But sometimes we just need to get some business conducted and I don't need Larlo to tell me all about his day at school.

Also, when did it become the norm for people not to be reachable during the day because they are taking care of kids and then email you at 11 or 12 at night to ask for things?

I sympathize with parents, but I also get what OP is saying.

NP. I agree that #1 is an issue but this is prohibited by my employer. Does management know about your coworkers arrangement? That would be grounds for my employer to end the telework arrangement at a minimum. Same with #2 if it happens on a regular basis.

Is #3 the same employee? Then this is a problem.

I work from home and Im out of leave so I do try to work even when my kids are home sick, and the 4 year old in particular likes to see and be seen on video calls. I know some colleagues love it. I’m sure some colleagues hate it. But everyone loves that they can still reach me and I’m not out of the office and unavailable every time a kid gets sick (which holy hell is like every week!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t heard any crying babies, but enough with the barking dogs.

Gotcha. I’ll just cut my dog’s vocal cords.

[Anonymous]

If you're not paying people enough to pay a nanny a living wage and live in a home with a separate dedicated office, you really can't complain.

[Anonymous]

It’s 2023 and people are still using Teams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s 2023 and people are still using Teams

Thoughts and prayers, indeed.

[Anonymous]

Other thing that annoys about WFH is a business trip. Three people who work for me are WFH. Next summer we need to visit a company site for 2-3 days. Anytime I told the three pick what works best.

I got one response I have to check my husband if he can cover. Husband works in person.

So after three years of WFH where wife is dropping kids off and picking up at daycare it would be two much of a burden on six months notice for him to just drop off and pick up his own kids.

It is getting crazy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other thing that annoys about WFH is a business trip. Three people who work for me are WFH. Next summer we need to visit a company site for 2-3 days. Anytime I told the three pick what works best.

I got one response I have to check my husband if he can cover. Husband works in person.

So after three years of WFH where wife is dropping kids off and picking up at daycare it would be two much of a burden on six months notice for him to just drop off and pick up his own kids.

It is getting crazy

I'm not sure what WFH has to do with this; many dhs seem to want nothing to do with their own kids. Not sure WFH matters, just means the wife doesn't have to take as much time off to pick the kids up every day.

[Anonymous]

There is some sort of daycare immediately above my office. Far louder than my own toddler with nanny when I WFM. Babies and kids make noise. It's not unique to WFM. Get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other thing that annoys about WFH is a business trip. Three people who work for me are WFH. Next summer we need to visit a company site for 2-3 days. Anytime I told the three pick what works best.

I got one response I have to check my husband if he can cover. Husband works in person.

So after three years of WFH where wife is dropping kids off and picking up at daycare it would be two much of a burden on six months notice for him to just drop off and pick up his own kids.

It is getting crazy

This isn't a WFH thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other thing that annoys about WFH is a business trip. Three people who work for me are WFH. Next summer we need to visit a company site for 2-3 days. Anytime I told the three pick what works best.

I got one response I have to check my husband if he can cover. Husband works in person.

So after three years of WFH where wife is dropping kids off and picking up at daycare it would be two much of a burden on six months notice for him to just drop off and pick up his own kids.

It is getting crazy

I'm not sure what WFH has to do with this; many dhs seem to want nothing to do with their own kids. Not sure WFH matters, just means the wife doesn't have to take as much time off to pick the kids up every day.

A business trip implies overnight travel, so it's a lot more than just re-arranging daycare pickup. My SIL used to travel for work, sometimes internationally. She always had the kids stay with her mom. I remember wondering what her husband's deal was. Well, his deal was that he worked in currency exchange and his region was East Asia. He might be able to take a day off for her travel, but he couldn't take two or three every month or so. They were lucky to have her mom nearby.

[Anonymous]

It’s cold and flu season. You can’t hand a sick baby to a nanny, or if nanny is sick, nanny stays home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are things that my coworkers now do with absolutely no shame that would have been unheard of pre-pandemic. I love working from home, I do. But I agree with OP that if we don't maintain some kind of professionalism, our employers are going to start requiring we just go back in.

1) one of my coworkers REFUSES to get childcare of any sort so every meeting or call we have is centered around her child's nap or feeding schedule.
2) coworkers stop the meeting/call to discipline their kids with no regard that none of us on the call want to wait for this S show.
3) kids interrupt the meetings to talk to me. I love kids. I really do. I have my own. But sometimes we just need to get some business conducted and I don't need Larlo to tell me all about his day at school.

Also, when did it become the norm for people not to be reachable during the day because they are taking care of kids and then email you at 11 or 12 at night to ask for things?

I sympathize with parents, but I also get what OP is saying.

NP. I agree that #1 is an issue but this is prohibited by my employer. Does management know about your coworkers arrangement? That would be grounds for my employer to end the telework arrangement at a minimum. Same with #2 if it happens on a regular basis.

Is #3 the same employee? Then this is a problem.

I work from home and Im out of leave so I do try to work even when my kids are home sick, and the 4 year old in particular likes to see and be seen on video calls. I know some colleagues love it. I’m sure some colleagues hate it. But everyone loves that they can still reach me and I’m not out of the office and unavailable every time a kid gets sick (which holy hell is like every week!).

Okay so why doesn't your employer just fire #1? That's not allowed at most jobs and the impact on work is very clear.

[Anonymous]

OP here. i just wanted a meeting without baby crying in the back. she had to stop/mute at times when it got really bad. i thought it's not too much to ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. i just wanted a meeting without baby crying in the back. she had to stop/mute at times when it got really bad. i thought it's not too much to ask.

You have no idea the pressure women feel. Crying literally is anxiety inducing for some because it is their child crying. Could be colic, could be sick, could have a new nanny they don't feel comfortable with and yet there she is on a conference call.

She's in a no win situation if she says look I really need to get a handle on what's going on at home can we pause the call and collect back together in 10 minutes she'll be judged for that.
And if she continues and somebody complains about the baby crying in the background
. And if she doesn't come into work instead of working from home and logging in people will be like oh she isn't committed.
And then if she doesn't have enough sick leave left she'll be unpaid or have to come in sick and people will be like oh my God why since she does take off.

So honestly. .....?

[Anonymous]

OP- you sound like a spoiled brat, and horrible co-worker.