Babies at Work
There’s no question where babies come from. But there are plenty of questions about where they belong.
In a bar?
With a nanny?
Starting a new life with someone else?
Your recent comments here on other posts show there’s lots of spirited debate about responsibility when it comes to how and where we care for our kids.
So, do babies belong at the office every day?
Yes, say employers at more than 80 companies across the U.S., where parents are allowed and encouraged to bring their babies to work on a daily basis—keeping, feeding, and caring for them right at their desks.
Bosses who back the controversial new trend say it helps them retain vital employees who might otherwise not return after the birth of a baby.
After four employees at an Austin advertising firm got pregnant at the same time, the company’s president feared they wouldn’t come back. So she turned the workplace into nirvana for new parents. Baby mamas—and daddies—are offered private offices in which to work while tending fulltime to their infants, who are welcome to clock in every day until about nine months, when they usually start crawling. Babies regularly attend meetings and are frequently fed on the conference table.
The company says having babies on board is good for morale.
Not so for everyone, critics counter. They say babies at the office bring increased distraction and decreased productivity for both co-workers and parents, who can’t possibly focus fully on the job. And those without children, a job recruiter notes, “often come to resent the perception of coddled working parents.”
Tell us what you think: They say it takes a village to raise a child, but should it take an office, too? Do babies and work make a responsible mix?
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Comments
Responsibility to the children
Yes, our children should be involved with our lives, it does take a community to raise a child. Granted there are some jobs where children should not be, but I have had many jobs where my child should have been by my side. My family and I are avid recyclers and supporters of the communities in which we live. Our children are a huge part of it and go with us every time, they need to see what mommy and daddy are doing for them and others. Our 12yr old boy and 1 yr old daughter love going out into the communities and helping us do our part. We are helping our children and many others in the community see that it is okay to do the ‘right thing’ and that they are also a large part of what is going to be needed to change and redirect our society. It is very endearing to have a 5 yr old neighbor bring us a can for recycling. All the children in our area know that if something is wrong or needs adult interaction, they can come to our house and we will help. Please create a safe haven for children. Please protect them, they really are the future adults, so raise them with integrity. Thank you.
Autumn Daley | 11 months ago
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United States
If companies offered day care, even if a child is sick, more moms would be at work and less time missed mom’s could check on there children. Do it like a doctor’s office: have a sick room and a well room. Costs could be shared: half from the company and half from the parent.
Pamela Jenkins | 10 months, 3 weeks ago
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so?
Just because you might need somehting does not give oyu the right to DEMAND it from others, who are not responsible for you or your choices; people who went to work to do the jobs that they were HIRED to do, not to be drafted into being unpaid babysitters.
electric_bonzai | 3 months ago
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