I have a vent about coworkers who have kids playing the "Kid Card," by claiming that they have to come in late sometimes, need more sick time, or that it isn't as bad to call out, when compared to workers who don't have kids. Now, I have a child myself, but I have never felt that it entitled me to special treatment at work.
Lately, some coworkers have been calling out, coming late, or leaving work early. They claim that since they have kids, it's "expected" that this should happen, and that the NH should be more understanding, and that they should not be written-up. Also, they argue that they should get preference for holidays off over workers without kids. (I know this is a big concern around Christmas.) I feel that all workers should abide by the same attendance rules, and that nurses and CNAs who have kids should not, on that basis alone, be "allowed" to come to work late, or have more sick time. What do you all think?
I have a vent about coworkers who have kids playing the "Kid Card," by claiming that they have to come in late sometimes, need more sick time, or that it isn't as bad to call out, when compared to workers who don't have kids. Now, I have a child myself, but I have never felt that it entitled me to special treatment at work.
When my kids were little my wife worked jobs without sick leave or annual leave. I was the one with sick leave. If she stayed home she didn't get paid while I would be paid for sick kids.
If our kids were sick I was the one who stayed home.
I don't think people should stay home willy nilly but I do think that we have to understand that not everyone has the same family circumstances.
If nothing else this speaks to the need for a law guaranteeing sick leave for all workers in the US.
All I will say is this...please think of your fellow co-workers. I know that sometimes it is hard when you have a sick child. And being in the military, I have heard, "The army didn't issue you a family". But I have been very blessed to have worked in a office where I was the only female and had very understand male co-workers.
However, I do know of people that abuse the "I have a kid' and I need to leave early or come in late. Just like in any other profession, you have to make arrangements. If that means you come in late and stay to make up the time, then do so. Just because people don't have kids, that doesn't give people with kids the trump card when it comes to holidays.
the paid sick and safe days act of 2007, bill 17-0197
july 9, 2007, heather boushey
in testimony before the dc city council, economist heather boushey explains why the paid sick and safe days act is necessary within a labor market context, and provides data by wage, firm size, job tenure, and gender for why the act should cover all workers.
With or without children I was a good employee and worked many holidays because I didn't have children would work 1/2 a shift those with children.
I worked FT evenings and then days for the first 2 years of my childrens' lives. My husband is a pilot and is gone for many holidays-decided that at least ONE of us needed to be home for the holidays. Working towards my MSN and currently work M-F no weekends or holidays. I miss patient care sometimes but I missed my children more.
I have grandkids and play the role of the missing parent, do you think I believe I'm entitled? Of course not. Your job is your job. If you don't want to put your job first, there is someone out there who will gladly take your job from you and they will be quite happy to have perfect or near perfect attendance and punctuality, no matter how many kids they have. That's life.
Wow, with this many responsible parents, you'd think it wouldn't be a problem anywhere! LOL, I don't imagine that the people being complained about would dare post now!
I'd like to add to that original complaint about people who live ten minutes or less from work, and still can't make it in on time--and people who drive an hour do! We've had alot of snowstorms recently and it seems that those who live farther away manage to get in on time, and those who live in town don't. This isn't limited to nursing; I used to work in an office where people could get in from more than an hour away, and a guy who literally lived five minutes' drive away would call when he was already a half hour late, saying he'd just cleared his driveway. Burned my butt every time, since I had to clear my driveway HOURS before he even woke up!
And yes, I've got kids, and while I may ask for schedule switches to accomodate their activities, I sure don't expect it to always be met. I know they can't. But we all work together and do our best to help each other out. The only exception to that, I think, is the person who just calls out every time her kid has something going on, or every time she feels like being out. We all know the kid isn't THAT sick!
I'd like to know where everyone works, because I have a child and it sounds like all your parents come and go as they please and all you childless folks are holding down the fort.:icon_roll Where I'm at, manage works with you, kids or not. And no one is left picking up the slack. If nurse A and nurse B had the same poor work ethic, calling out, late to work, the nurse who had the kid would get hung around here. But the other??
People don't deserve anything, except to be treated with respect and be expected to do what they signed on to do. There is a sad generation of young people who "think" because they are alive they somehow deserve things. The way I was raised is you EARN things. You work hard, pay your bills on time, take care of your OWN kids, and life rewards you with self pride. People do choose to have kids, I did, and I find ways to make things happen. It is possible to have kids and not be late for work. I have up to now, NEVER missed a day, been late to, or used my kids as an excuse. I surround myself with people who give and take. We help each other, we share our issues gladly with one another. Why is that such a mystery to folks? People are PAID to work, they sign on KNOWING full well what the job entails, INCLUDING when and what time to work. It is not hard, you have to start work at 7, by gosh be there by 6:45 come hell or high water. People DESERVE to retire when they have worked long and hard for years and have been responsible enough to set themselves up for that retirement. No one MAKES anyone take a job, people CHOOSE those specific jobs. People need to learn to date during the week on their SCHEDULED days off. People need to stop having excuses and start being productive. For goodness sake, our responsibilities as nurses have peoples lives and health in our hands! How on earth can ANYONE take that so lightly? Nursing ratios are bad enough without NURSES willfully causing it to be worsened. People CHOOSE to return to school, why does ANYONE deserve to be the one to pick up days missed because someone else thinks they DESERVE all this special treatment.
Simply we are alive and breathing and we ALL have responsibilities. Take them seriously and make it work. But PLEASE people STOP thinking because you choose to make changes in your personal life that you somehow DESERVE special treatment. IN my opinion, you don't!
Simply we are alive and breathing and we ALL have responsibilities. Take them seriously and make it work. But PLEASE people STOP thinking because you choose to make changes in your personal life that you somehow DESERVE special treatment. IN my opinion, you don't!
I'm not 100% sure I agree with that.
Life happens. The good thing about nursing is that with 24/7 hours to fill sometimes employers can be accommodating when life happens to people. What someone needs when they are single and 22 might be different when they start having kids and are married and aged 30. Why not work to retain them?
We're experiencing a baby boom on my unit this last year. The 5th baby is about to born in a couple of months, not counting the two male nurses whose wives are due. After bith one had to go to 3-11, one had to go to weekends only, etc. Several mothers have set schedules that revolve around husbands and baby sitters. This way they can show up to work on time and not call off so much.
We'd lose some good nurses if we didn't try to help them out.
All of us in our own ways try to find jobs and schedules that coincide with our personal lives and the changes that occur.
People don't deserve anything, except to be treated with respect and be expected to do what they signed on to do. There is a sad generation of young people who "think" because they are alive they somehow deserve things. The way I was raised is you EARN things. You work hard, pay your bills on time, take care of your OWN kids, and life rewards you with self pride. People do choose to have kids, I did, and I find ways to make things happen. It is possible to have kids and not be late for work. I have up to now, NEVER missed a day, been late to, or used my kids as an excuse. I surround myself with people who give and take. We help each other, we share our issues gladly with one another. Why is that such a mystery to folks? People are PAID to work, they sign on KNOWING full well what the job entails, INCLUDING when and what time to work. It is not hard, you have to start work at 7, by gosh be there by 6:45 come hell or high water. People DESERVE to retire when they have worked long and hard for years and have been responsible enough to set themselves up for that retirement. No one MAKES anyone take a job, people CHOOSE those specific jobs. People need to learn to date during the week on their SCHEDULED days off. People need to stop having excuses and start being productive. For goodness sake, our responsibilities as nurses have peoples lives and health in our hands! How on earth can ANYONE take that so lightly? Nursing ratios are bad enough without NURSES willfully causing it to be worsened. People CHOOSE to return to school, why does ANYONE deserve to be the one to pick up days missed because someone else thinks they DESERVE all this special treatment.
Simply we are alive and breathing and we ALL have responsibilities. Take them seriously and make it work. But PLEASE people STOP thinking because you choose to make changes in your personal life that you somehow DESERVE special treatment. IN my opinion, you don't!
Just in case you didn't catch on (and it appears by the part I bolded that you did not), my post was tongue in cheek - made in the hopes that those that seem to think that the childless should drop everything to accommodate people with children would realize that other people have things going on in their lives too and that their children are not the primary concern of their coworkers.
There was an entire news show, and I've forgotten which one, regarding the "I want it all and I want it now" mentality of young people today. Guess what? It leads directly back to how they were raised! In a world of never hearing the word "no" at home, always being the "second winner" instead of "Joe won, you didn't. Run harder next time." As a result, many of these kids are expecting to be always on top of the heap in every way when they get out into the real world, and the real world just doesn't work that way. This show especially showcased business jobs, executive type stuff (and some of them do indeed expect to have the corner office from the outset), but I think some of what we're discussing here could be applied as well.
Also, they argue that they should get preference for holidays off over workers without kids. (I know this is a big concern around Christmas.) I feel that all workers should abide by the same attendance rules, and that nurses and CNAs who have kids should not, on that basis alone, be "allowed" to come to work late, or have more sick time. What do you all think?
semiller36545
117 Posts
Amen, Amen, Amen .