How Do You Handle Kids in the Office During School Holidays? Seeking Your Experiences

Hello friends, I am working with an MNC, and there is a strange thing happening in it. The female employees bring their children to the office as the children are currently on Diwali vacation. However, this situation disrupts others as the kids play in the office.

Seeking Solutions for Office Disruptions During Diwali Vacation

Please share if any of your companies have dealt with a similar situation and how it was addressed.

Why can't you think in another direction? Here, your employees are not interested in taking any leave, and they want to work even during Diwali vacations. Can you plan to arrange a room for those children and keep some toys, dolls, blackboards, and colored chalks for them? This will help the children bring out their efficiency and talents. If the office can afford it, please arrange some chart paper, provide them with watercolors or fabric colors, give them a motivational topic, and instruct the children to draw pictures based on their imaginations.

This initiative will not only encourage parents to work hard and with dedication but also foster loyalty towards the organization, ultimately leading to increased productivity.

Regards

Indeed, I did not imagine what sort of problems one could come across... jokes apart, I can guess and agree with you that the concentration on work could be hampered in such cases. However, the suggestions provided by Mr. Bhaskar are noteworthy, and you can try them out.

On the other side of the coin, you can take it positively and enjoy their presence in the routine work. Children bring cheerfulness and liveliness wherever they go. Your office atmosphere could be more enchanting than ever before.

With best regards,
Vaishalee Parkhi

Kindly see the link provided as bringing children to work not only involves disruption but also safety issues. Found at Google.

Have a nice day,
Simhan

I do agree with the fact that children cannot be allowed at the workplace on a daily basis; it definitely impacts productivity at the workplace (negative or positive). However, the major concern is not about productivity here, but about responsibility. You can never afford to leave children unattended, as this could lead to a major headache for your company if any untoward incident takes place, especially since it is still within the office premises.

I would suggest that you take it up immediately with your management and explain to them the implications. With respect to the employees, you can always inform them that sometimes it is in the best interest of the company and employees that certain decisions need to be taken. The above point can be conveyed to them in an appropriate tone. However, be careful not to use any words that hint towards productivity loss or work time, as this might have an adverse impact.

Regards,
Rakesh

I would say Bhaskar's point is very good and valid. However, doing this doesn't guarantee that they will continue, as once the schools are open, they will go to school and not come to the office. Children are always children, and surely they will come out of the rooms. Here is where the office boy and other attendants come in, providing tea/coffee, etc., where they will not have work all the time and can take care of the girls for some time.

Could you please confirm if I am correct in my understanding?

Hi, you have to decide between work continuing or all affected employees seeking leave during Diwali time. The most practical solution is what Bhaskar has suggested. Diwali and similar festivals come every year. Why wait for them to be upon you before deciding? Why not have a ready template and fit it during such times? Decide on a space, have it cleared of any objects that may hurt the children, and instruct your Admin to organize staff (or use already verified staff, i.e., tea bar/coffee bar staff). Inform the concerned parents that they will be charged a nominal sum as payment towards the person looking after the children, and get along with your work. These are issues that do not require too much thinking. Planning ahead for these, however, does require intervention at the beginning of the year. Let everyone affected give you a smile and thank you for the effort!

Regards,
Ashok

Charging employees is not acceptable, and companies can very well spend some amount (only a few thousand on toys, vacating a room, and sparing an office boy and the lady who visits for cleaning the office) that will not be too costly or unaffordable for any company. Let the companies plan this with the help of HR and the stores department.

Discussion on Bringing Children to Office Premises

The debate here is about office premises and not about factories, construction sites, or mining workplaces. I believe there will not be any safety problems arising in this context. Whenever the children come, they will be sent to a room where toys and dolls are placed, allowing them to play. To take care of the children, the office boy or the cleaning lady can be deployed. Some biscuits and chocolates will be given to the children so they can play and rest when they feel tired after playing. Hence, there should not be any problem with bringing children to the office.

Dear Bhaskar, I am with you as far as the company organizing a place, procuring the essential toys/items to keep the kids amused, and paying for these.

Employee Contribution for Childcare

What I differ on is why there is always resistance when some token payment is recommended from the employees as incentive perks to the staff who would be looking after them. Are the employees so poorly paid that they cannot contribute a small token amount to the person who will be taking care of their child, thus enabling them to work in peace? After all, it will only be for a few days in a year.

Alternative Scenario

Consider the scenario where an organization decides not to allow children at the workplace. In that case, either the employees or their spouses would have to stay at home and babysit, resulting in a loss of a few days' salary.

Let it be a WIN-WIN for both parties. Even if this is organized, you may still find parents working with half their attention on their children. Additionally, not all staff may be willing to take on this additional responsibility.

This is a live problem. Why not plan for it?

Regards,
Ashok

The law states, "If you are hiring 30 or more female employees, you must have a crèche with toys, an attendant, milk, biscuits, etc. You cannot escape from this basic compliance."

Regards,
Vimal Shrimali.

I don't agree with most of the comments posted. This means that during summer vacation, children will come for 2 months, which is unacceptable.

Regards,
Puneet

I hope you all have heard about the crèche facilities being provided at places where mostly female employees work. As your organization doesn't face the problem of bringing children to work all year long, you can have an on-and-off facility. You need to employ a person on a temporary basis, or you can borrow from one of your staff a trustworthy maid to take care of the day-to-day needs of these children. Additionally, hire a good young lady (also temporarily) to organize small games, coloring competitions, drawing competitions, clay modeling, rhyme singing, story writing, etc. She can organize a nature walk in a nearby park as well if you want the children to be away from the office.

Dear Bhaskar,

I have worked in a university, and even there, safety problems exist. Suppose a child slips, falls, and is injured, or if two kids fight and one is injured, who will be held responsible? Hence, there should be clear policies laid down. I do not know the situation in India. Have a nice day.

Simhan

Dear Mr. Simhan,

Here, the debate is about office premises and not about factories, construction sites, or mining workplaces. I hope there will not be any safety problems arising. Whenever the children come, they will be sent to a room where toys and dolls are placed, and they can play with them. To take care of the children, the office boy or the cleaning lady can be deployed. Some biscuits and chocolates will be given to the children to play and rest when they feel tired after playing. Hence, there should not be any problem in bringing the children to the office.

Have a nice day.

There is another option. The company can tie up with a childcare facility near the office where the kids can be dropped off on the way to the office. Parents can visit them a couple of times if required. This will send the right message to these employees that the company cares for them, and on the other hand, will not get into any legal or productivity-related issues as well.

Warm regards,
Parag

Dear Amit, what you can do is, as a part of Employee Welfare, you can start a crèche in your organization. This situation will keep on rising, so if a permanent crèche is established, it will also be useful for women who will be coming for maternity. They will not take more days of holidays. Also, you will fulfill the statutory requirement if your women employees are more than 30. Women employees will be dedicated and happy towards the organization.

Regards,
Abhishek Patil

As quoted by others, some women employees may not have the option to leave their kids somewhere. However, we can have a restricted area for them where they can carry out their activities while still being able to focus on work. For children, especially if they are a little older, it's important to help them understand that, just like school, the office also requires a certain level of decorum to be maintained.

Regards,
Praveena

There can be a much simpler solution to this problem. Taking Mr. Bhaskar's suggestion forward, it would be much more convenient for you and your management to employ temporary services of a child daycare center, if possible near your office. Considering Diwali vacations and school summer holidays, it would be easier on mothers' minds, enabling them to contribute more to work. This daycare center could also be utilized to assist new mothers who need to leave their children from morning till evening, ensuring they receive good care and service. This practice is prevalent in western countries such as the USA and Canada, where many people have nuclear or single families.

Regards,
sh_misra

Creche Facilities in Organizations

It is happening in some organizations where a number of married women are working, and both husbands and wives are employed. There is no one at home to look after the kids after school. The kids come to the organization after school hours, but they are kept in a creche maintained by the organization with all necessary items like toys, beds, and small indoor kids' games, under the Factories Act 1948. A lady creche attendant may also be arranged.

Mr. Bhasker also suggested the same. You should take it positively and have good results.

Thanks,
Salam Din

I agree with Mr. Rakesh Sharma. It is not a simple task to handle children in the office. Also, it is not limited to toys and painting materials. Last year, we conducted a children's camp for our company employees. They always cry for their parents because we are not their regular teachers as they have in their schools.

Secondly, the difference in age groups is also a problem in arranging facilities and activities for them. The safety of children and the attention diversion of co-employees are also other problems in the organization.

Parents have to take care of their children. On the other hand, if management decides to take care within the premises, then you have to arrange a separate place for them, teachers, teaching materials, caretakers, etc.

With regards,
Ram

It looks like people are suggesting arranging for a temporary play school in the office. Space is a major constraint in most offices and may not be available. I don't know how he is going to manage it.

This is a very delicate issue that has to be solved tactically. The best way to overcome this, as one member has suggested, is to put the children in a separate room and allow them to play so their parents are not disturbed. However, even after this facility, if the children continue to come to their parents and disturb them, we have to politely tell the parents not to bring them to the office in the future as their output will be affected. If this is not possible, we can request one of our colleagues with whom these parents are close to listen to their advice.

Regards,
M.J. Subramanyam, Bangalore

After 16 years of service with my organization, I have seen quite a few female employees bring their kids to the office for necessary reasons, I'm afraid. However, I find that if employers exercise understanding, the employees also maintain a healthy respect for abiding by work policies and do their best to keep their children at bay as much as possible. This understanding creates a good relationship and respect between subordinates and superiors. An organization that looks after the welfare of its employees sets itself up for a healthy working environment and increased productivity. This will be especially useful in times of crisis.

The Importance of Maintaining a Crèche in the Workplace

If we are employing female employees, it is a statutory obligation to maintain a crèche in the company. Even though the minimum requirement is 30 employees for that, maintaining a crèche within the organization fosters better and healthier relations with the employees. This will help parents work more productively and create a great environment.

Dear all, The suggestions given by some of our friends are good. Female employees bring their children to the office under unavoidable circumstances, as there could be no one at home to look after the kids. It would be inevitable for a female employee to take her kid to the office when both parents are employees and no one is at home to look after the child. However, this situation should be seen in a positive and humanistic manner, rather than enforcing the rules and regulations of the office to restrict mothers from bringing kids to the office.

As a matter of fact, bringing kids by female employees naturally causes hurdles to the office work during working hours and it may disturb other employees as well.

Employee Welfare Measures

However, it is not out of place to mention here that every organization or firm has to adopt certain employee welfare measures in the interest of the employees. The management has to take steps for the opening of Baby Crèches in the office so that the employees' kids will be placed there for care by some ayas and other caregivers. For this purpose, the management can collect some financial contributions from the female employees so that this arrangement can be made. Management may also contribute something to this arrangement under Social Security welfare measures or under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This will facilitate female employees to take more initiative in their office work without any fear about their kids who will be in a safe position under the care of authorized and qualified caregivers. Women employees who bring kids to the office will concentrate more on the office work, and productive work will be further improved.

Regards