Supervisor being horrible about having time of with toddler (Long)

iceicebaby

plumpmouse wrote:

If you find a way to "limit" a child being ill I'm sure there will be plenty of parents willing to pay for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plumpmouse I completely agree, however looking at it from the other point of view it also isnt fair on the people in work who have to cover. I agree there is no ideal situation really. Its either not fair on the parents or not fair on the colloeagues of the people having time off. Its that rock and a hard place

I am not for 1 minute saying that people should not be allowed time off but also the privelidge should not be abused.

seven-day-weekend

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I don't know what the Employment law is for this, someone should be along soon who does.

I can see both points of view. Yours, because obviously you want the best for your child, and when your child's ill they want their Mum, and also the supervisor's who wants somebody who doesn't keep taking time off. However there is no need for him to be horrible to you.

He should abide by any employment law that covers this situation.

Could you possibly reduce your hours a bit so that if you have to take your child to the Doctor you could do so before or after work (for example work 10-4)? I understand this may not be possible.

Are you in a union? If so, it may be worthwhile enlisting their help/advice.

It must be a very hard job being a single parent as you have no-one to help you out with these things.

Good luck and I hope it's sorted out.

seven-day-weekend

Having read the 'parental leave' link above, this does not cover the OP's situation.

In her situation, it says you must just ask for unpaid leave, or see if you can work flexible hours, or use annual leave.

So those are the options.

cruella_de_vile

iceicebaby wrote:

I completely sympathise with your situation and there are regulations governing how much time you are allowed off when a child is ill.

HOWEVER, as a person who does not have children, it is very annoying having to to do double the work because a colleague is off work because their child is ill. A colleague of mine has been off loads and always says her child is ill. I know kids cant help being ill and need their mummies when they are, but there should be a limit. people cant take indefinate amount of time off.

I know i am going to be shot down in flames for this by people with kids, but thats just how i feel.

I am not saying that no time off should be given if kids are ill, but that it should be limited and controlled.

I have 2 young children and ended up leaving work because of childcare problems when the children were sick and employers don't make it easy for you but why should they? They pay someone to do a job not to nurse a sick child

I might be alone in thinking that workers with children do get a fairly good deal but I agree that they do need to draw the line somewhere.

amandada

It's a nightmare isn't it. I'm in the fortunate position where my dh works days and I work nights so this kind of thing doesn't really cause a problem for us....but not everyone's so lucky, including the OP.
The only advice I could offer you is to speak to your union.....your child is under 6 years old so you will be entitled to request flexible working-although it's not an entitlement to have it, the employer has to come up with damn good reason not to grant it. I think this could cover the issue of the fixed holidays which means you can't use annual leave to cover time off for your child. Good luck!

black-saturn

Thats the problem with going back to work when your children are so small especially when there is only one parent looking after them. All I can say is don't worry about work. Your children should come first over everything else. I bet your boss wouldn't hesitate taking time off if it was him/her with the problems. Don't worry about it.

Prudent

It is not easy being a single parent and the illness of your child is one of the biggest hurdles.

You do have entitlement to leave. I don't know for certain about England, but in Scotland you can have two days to arrange care for a child who is going to be off for longer and you have a right to take them to appointments. Most companies are quite understanding. I am a single parent and now dd is of an age where is is usually ok in the house herself if she is mildly unwell. A few years ago I had to take a week and a half off after she was rushed into hospital unconscious. My employers were very understanding and supportive.

I can see that other people in the work place may have to cover some work, but to me this is what being part of a team is about. I will help my colleagues if they need support. It does feel a bit uncomfortable. I am a teacher and always fuss about my class when I am off. They are always fine when I get back and we catch up on anything missed.

I hope you get this resolved and your child gets better soon.

At the momment I have the other side of the coin. I am struggling to look after house and daughter after being assaulted and injured by a pupil at school.

sexy_fufu

to be honest i dont take the !!!! and they said i had 10 occasions of last year, half of those are appointments, thats less than 10 days in total. i dont think thats unreasonable for a child maybe others do.

But personally i dont !!, espically being a single mother.....

like this year, she had a hospital appointment 3 weeks ago i took half a day off shes got another in april i will take half a day again.

I cant help it if she as to go hospital... can i ( at the end of the day the government want to get mothers in work companies have got to be understanding)

Like i aid if i took the !!!! and was of alot it would be a different story..

liney

For appointments, i think you should use your holidays to be honest. As stated above, you do need to consider your collegues while you are away. The Care of Dependent rules are for emergencies.

Now that you have your boyfriend moved in (re other thread) at least you will have some help on the child care front. His continental shift pattern will mean he has plenty of off days during your work days. Perhaps you could mention this to your boss, just to show that you really aren't extracting the urine, and that you do understand their concern.

Prudent

plumpmouse wrote:

As for his Dad, we couldn't afford for him to lose his wage (I earn less than half his wage and only work 2 days) and also he is a teacher so it is harder for him to ring in for this. quote]

I am a teacher and get time off when my child is sick without loss of pay. I had a week and a half at one point (see above). The last paragraph of my post shows that there is also another side to this coin for teaching parents.