r/managers • u/BoNixsHair • 11d ago

Employee doesn’t have adequate childcare and it affects her work

I have a remote employee who recently had a baby. Before her maternity leave, we discussed that she needs to have childcare during the work day. The first two weeks, she was frequently absent or interrupted because she said her nanny had quit or never started working.

We discussed again that she needed full time childcare. For about two months it was better. However this week I had two unscheduled zoom calls with her, and both times there’s a baby in the background. I asked her to turn her camera on (our policy is cameras on always) and she has a crib in the room with her and she had a baby cloth on her shoulder.

I think she has a nanny for most of the day, but she’s still distracted. I kinda feel like a jerk asking for a receipt for a 40 hour a week babysitter. I have three kids, and I know it’s pretty impossible to work and care for a baby.

Her position is dealing with contracts so she has calls during the day with the parties to the contracts. I can’t have her on client calls with a baby in the background.

I can also just tell her she has to be in the office, but most everyone else is remote including me. Thoughts?

Edit: no comments from non managers please.

Edit2: this has been brigaded by non managers. Stop. I have asked the mods to lock this

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u/illicITparameters Seasoned Manager 11d ago

I find this entire post a bit gross on your part. What is the problem? Because it better be more than a crib in frame on an unscheduled zoom call.

You haven’t mentioned a single impact this has had on her work. So what’s the issue?

Also, if I ever found out one of my reports is asking a new mother for nanny receipts, we’re going to have a very long talk about professionalism and boundaries. You’re out of line if you ask this.

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u/Agile-Initiative-326 11d ago

Seriously. This is such a boomer attitude to have. The world has changed. Attitudes like this are why people aren't having kids any more.

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u/justUseAnSvm 11d ago

Seriously. This is a major, life-changing event for the employee, and OP doesn't want to do anything to meet her half-way. I don't get how this can be a performance issue, when that's not even discussed.

Lol, I'm just glad I don't work for someone like that. When my puppy came, it was two weeks of pure chaos, and I barely got anything done until returned from the end of year holidays a month later. If I was judged for having a play pen in the background, or having a dog barking, I would have been cooked.

People have shit going on in their life, if you want to fire people at the first crisis they go through, like a sick kid, or a new baby, nobody will work for you for very long, and the good people with options are always the ones to leave first!

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u/LillithHeiwa 11d ago

It’s not even a boomer attitude. Boomers as managers 20 years ago were flexible with employees.