[Publib] Re: Children of staff - child to work days

[Paul Ericsson]

Gang --

It sure has been an interesting discussion thread.

Karen brings up a new point which is worth elaborating upon: "kids 
need to see/know where we work".   I think that "child to work" 
programs are fantastic, and I had been fortunate to work at two 
different jobs that celebrated these events during the years that my 
kiddo was school-age.   It was a wonderful experience for the both of 
us. She shadowed me for part of the day. And then she did some 
photocopying and folding and simple filing that was planned by the 
office staff, and things like that.   I think that allowances for 
these structured days with kids at work are fantastic.  Everyone 
going to work that day knows what to expect, and back-up plans are in 
place if needed.  Then it is back to regular bizness the next 
day.  Three cheers for employers that do provide these opportunities.

All of the positive stories that people have shared are interesting, 
but do not provide substantive reason for an employer to take on the 
cost and risk of making this a standard condition of employment in 
the public sector.  I still weigh-in with the two basic points as 
being most central to the development of any policies related to this 
question of kids at work:

1) The workplace is a place of work and the employer has a right to 
expect regular, consistent, full attention to their work from 
employees.  Especially in these days of reduced budgets in the public 
sector.  That is NOT to say we should not make allowances for 
emergencies, but they need to be kept as rare occassions and only that.

2) There is no possible way an employee/parent can adequately keep a 
watchful eye on a child and reasonably expect that the child 
(especially young ones) can be kept safe from hazards at work or 
predators in the public building.  Based on all the passion that was 
expressed late last week over the New Bedford Library tragedy - I am 
finding it hard to believe that more of the same passion for safety 
does not carry over to this conversation.  Just call me conservative, I guess.

Doris's point in the recent posting is my experience - it is fairly 
easy, with good judgment, to make exceptions to policies and 
guidelines that are restrictive.  It is absolutely impossible to 
tighten up policies and guidelines once they are perceived as a 
condition of employment or a benefit.

Paul (opinions are my own) Ericsson


At 11:46 AM 2/5/2008, Karen Mahnk wrote:
>I was fortunate enough that when my son was a child, to have worked in
>a firm library & I had an office. Nethertheless, children couldn't be
>brought w/o permission. Let's face it kids can bring out awkward
>situations; we love kids but often they don't always behave when they
>really need to. My kid almost never made embarrassing remarks - except
>at the wrong times.. It happens & I think having a child at work one
>too many times makes it tough to do the things one needs to do there
>easily. By the same token, kids need to see/know where we work if we
>are going to spend more time there instead of with them.   I think
>it's sad that we have"therapy dogs"/cats" - but your child is verboten
>- both have the same propensity to get stains on the carpet & in terms
>of return on your attention, I think a kid will give you more for your
>attention, or lack of it than your pet - who will never be a lawyer
>nor a drug addict or serial killer(except in horror flicks).
>Sometimes, we forget why we work. - there can be a balance.
>Karen Mahnk
>
>On Feb 4, 2008 9:34 PM, Dale McNeill <dale.mcneill at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I have just a few thoughts:
> >
> > as an administrator in a large public library system--it only 
> makes sense to
> > have a very clear rule that only staff who are actually at work can be in
> > staff areas (no children, no friends, no spouses, no "I thought I 
> would come
> > by on my day off and drink coffee")
> >
> > as a former manager--I did (with my supervisor's approval) allow staff to
> > bring children to work from time to time.  I worked in a non-public part of
> > the library and had two young employees with young children and complex
> > lives; it wasn't easy, though, as it's very hard to be fair to other
> > employees.
> >
> > as a child of a single mother (for a few years)--I waited for my mother
> > every day for at least 3 hours, either at the public library or at a local
> > version of the Woolworth luncheonette.  I know how difficult this 
> was for my
> > mother and for both places where we waited.  But that job, almost an hour
> > away, was the only job my mother could get and our house was the only asset
> > she had.
> >
> > It is very easy to forget how complicated people's lives can be, especially
> > of those staff members who carefully *don't* bring their personal lives to
> > work.
> >
> > Dale (a child in rural Oklahoma, a librarian in Texas and New York)
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
>--
>Karen Mahnk,
>Reference Librarian
>Lake Park Public Library
>529 Park Avenue
>Lake Park, Fl., 33403
>561 881-3330 Fax: 561881-3336
>kmahnk at lakeparkflorida.gov
>www.lakepark-fl.gov
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