Sever weather and childcare arrangements.

kittiej

Hello all

I have been a bit hacked off with this weather lately (haven't we all!) but it has left me with an employment question.

Basically my DH and myself work for the same company now whenever there's severe weather and the school is closed my employer always insists that I must stay at home with the children and my DH must be the one to go into work, (we have different roles in the company, he is retail focused and I am office/admin based).

I am always the one to lose pay and it annoys me.

Is there anything I can do about this? Or should I just accept it since my DH's job is more important to the running of the company?

hcb42

strange situation, do you earn the same, or earn more than him, if not, you would not be any better off no matter what?

themull1

Does your husband earn more money as well as having a more important job in the company?

kittiej

He earns more than I do but it's not him who decides who can work. I have workloads and deadlines to keep to.

Does it always have to be the mother to stay at home? I'm asking if men can ask for time off instead of the women?

There have been redundancies in the offices lately over the past couple of years and this bothers me a bit.

Sambucus_Nigra

kittiej wrote: »

He earns more than I do but it's not him who decides who can work. I have workloads and deadlines to keep to.

Yes, but would it be better off for you to lose your day's wages rather than him [ie you as a couple lose less money this way].

globetraveller

is this more to do with how you work out household expenses? Surely it makes more sense for your husband to work?

badmumof1

Can i ask you what you do when your children are ill?
Do you just send them in to school or do you have other arrangements that you could possibly use when the bad weather is upon us.
Please remember school is not free childcare so you can go to work

hcb42

I guess his employer is saying that He must attend work...rather than saying you must stop at home....

Presumably if your husband has a key role, then he is expected to make the journey, I dont know.

Yes, of course Men can take time off if they cannot make the journey, although without knowing the circumstances, this does not seem to sit well with your emplyer.

kittiej

bad mum I think illness and staying at home due to the school being closed are two seperate issues and not what I was asking advice about.

During times like shool holidays my children go to out of school club which I have to pay for and it makes it possible for me to keep my job. When the school suddenly closes I have to stay at home with them even though it should be possible for my DH to stay at home instead.

globetraveller well yes you would expect this to be the case but in reality it doesn't work like that. Our finances are seperate.

It's more to do with the company promoting 'every member is valued' just not in my case lol. It's the 'can't the wife stay at home' attitude which I don't like. We each have our own Managers, then there's a Senior Manager who's ultimately in charge of us both.

There are other married couples in the company and the other mothers have the same problem. I suppose this is the problem with both of us working for the same company.

liney

It sounds to me that you have used 'Emergency time off for dependant entitlement' on a number of occassions, so while your employer is not telling you that you can 'have today so that you can arrange childcare and be back at work tomorrow' or warning you that you are exhusting what is 'reasonable' then i'd look very carefully at which side my bread is buttered.

Legally either of you is entitled, in real terms, don't piddle off the employer when they are allowing you time off when could easily cause you problems.

Sambucus_Nigra

kittiej wrote: »

bad mum I think illness and staying at home due to the school being closed are two seperate issues and not what I was asking advice about.

During times like shool holidays my children go to out of school club which I have to pay for and it makes it possible for me to keep my job. When the school suddenly closes I have to stay at home with them even though it should be possible for my DH to stay at home instead.

globetraveller well yes you would expect this to be the case but in reality it doesn't work like that. Our finances are seperate.

It's more to do with the company promoting 'every member is valued' just not in my case lol. It's the 'can't the wife stay at home' attitude which I don't like. We each have our own Managers, then there's a Senior Manager who's ultimately in charge of us both.

If The Wife was in a more senior role then perhaps the attitude would be different?

Can you explain what benefit you would gain from hubby staying at home and you going to work? You say you are the one to lose pay and it bothers you - but if you went to work you as a couple would lose more - so I can't understand your gripe.