Do Single People Work More?
Single people don't get maternity leave, and have to cover for colleagues who do. Is that fair?
Saturday morning, my friend Sara had to cancel our brunch because her boss needed a project done ASAP. All of her co-workers were "with their kids" so the work fell into her lap. She had to drop everything and go into the office.
I was truly annoyed on her behalf. I suggested she pop out some babies just to get out of work the next time her boss had a Saturday emergency.
I used to work at a place that offered really long maternity leaves, and afterwards, a cushy new mom work schedule (four days a week). People went to that company just to get pregnant. My boss was in her forties and single. She got really tired of going to office baby showers and having to work five-day weeks.
This reminds me of a Sex & the City episode where Carrie gets fed-up spending thousands of dollars on friends' weddings and baby showers, so she registers for a pair of shoes.
When I was younger, I was always willing to pick up the slack for M.I.A. moms. But what if you never get to have children? It seems like you get screwed. Where do you stand on this issue?
Written by Erin Meanley for Glamour's Single-ish blog.
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Discussion
About how parents work - I have heard many moms say that after they had kids they became more efficient at work because they want to get home. They sit down and work and don't spend as much time socializing. They also say they find that they are doing less overtime, but getting as much done because they work differently.
Becoming a parent is a tough job. But parents benefit our society by raising young little citizens and future tax payers so it BENEFITS our society to accommodate parents. At my former workplace, there were lots of parents leaving early or coming late because of their kids, but you know what, they always got their work done.
Parents are not like smokers. Parents are an invaluable work resource. They add a different perspective and as long as they get their job done, they shouldn't receive a pay cut. Some companies, offer 4-day work weeks if the parents work extra hours those four days to make up for the lost hours on the fifth day, so its not like their getting an extra day off. Companies and co-workers need to realize that having a life that revolves around more than work actually makes a better employee.
Whether or not you are a parent has no bearing on what kind of work you produce. Single people bring just as much to the table as parents. Maybe it's the field I work in. I'm an engineer. All that talk about "different perspectives" really don't matter in my world. It's all in the numbers, you're either right or you're wrong. You can't have a different "perspective" on physics.
And I can think of a couple of parents at other firms that could be replaced by single people, thereby achieving 125% or more of the current work being done for the same pay.
I'm just saying I don't understand how being a parent can possibly affect how you work. Other than the typical absenteeism issue.
Well, the gov't gives families tax breaks because they realize the benefit that families bring to the country. Additionally, companies realize that parents are stable, less likely to move or switch over to the competitor so easily. Being a parent is not a negative in the workplace anymore than being single is. That would be like me saying that all single people drink and party more and therefore are worse workers. It's scurrilous and not true. Also, while you may not see how people can have a different "perspective" on physics, my husband too is an engineer and I know that you don't always reach the answer in the same way. Different approaches to fixing the problems can go a long way to making that autopilot work.
But I can assure you that finding different correct solutions has nothing to do with whether you've popped out a kid or not. Therefore, being a parent brings nothing to my table. I still don't appreciate the fact that because I don't have kids, I shouldn't expect everyone to put forth the same quality of work as I.
All I can see is kids giving some people an excuse to slack. Thank God that won't fly at my work. I've seen engineers fired for taking off too much time. I would assume that they would be fired regardless of the reason as to why they weren't pulling their weight, but so far I've only heard of kid-related absenteeism.
Also, so far only women have gotten the axe for that.
Nope. My job requires that you can't just run off when the kids get sick or there's a school function. My job requires that you answer your cell anytime day or night, and it sometimes requires you to hop on a plane immediately to fix a client's problem on-site. To say "I can't. My kids are going Trick or Treating" is one way to guarantee you'll be fired. My job pays very very good money so we can fix problems quickly. You have to understand, when our clients have a breakdown, they're not producing. If they're not producing, they aren't making money. And you can be sure that if' they're not making money, they could give a damn about your kids going trick or treating.
That is the nature of the game, and I love it. But too many dumb bimbos think they can be their child's primary caregiver and have this job. They can't. It's impossible.
So, no, being in the minority doesn't bother me a bit. I love my job, and being the only woman is only a testament to how few can really handle it.
Although I haven't noticed this happening at my current job, and I do intend to stay at my current job for awhile, I've already given thought to how I would handle the situation if I had to do my colleague's job as well as mine. I wouldn't. At least not for the same pay. If she's only working four days a week, then she needs to get one day's worth of pay docked, or I get an extra day's pay for having to do a second job that day.
I don't want kids. Ever. I hate 'em.
On that note, I totally understand maternity leave. I also know that if I had to cover maternity leave after maternity leave, my job would be giving me six weeks of personal leave if they wished to retain me as an employee.
The only thing that gets me is parents leaving work early due to some kid-related logistical issue. The bosses don't ever question that. But if I need to leave early for some reason, I get that look of "oh really now". I hate that.
Having parents as colleagues is kinda like having smokers as colleagues. Both have chosen their vice. Both feel the need to take extra time away from the job to feed that vice. Anyone I've ever known who smokes needs a smoke break at least every other hour and many times more.
My thing is that as long as we're working about the same I'm fine with it. If I'm suddenly working a lot more, then we need to discuss a pay raise for me or a pay cut for them.
Most people have kids at some point in their life, so I think it works out to be fair in the end. Workplaces provide leave and support for many other reasons, even though most of them don't apply to most people.
Women who object now may be shooting themselves in the foot later on if parental benefits start to disappear from workplaces.
I think until you have kids it's hard to appreciate how much work it is or you wouldn't even jokingly suggest having kids to get out of a Saturday morning at the office. Parents work 24/7. They NEVER have Saturday morning off. Enjoy the benefits of being childless.
