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Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

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Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#41

Post by kache_ »

In remote environments, some people clearly put in more hours than necessary. It allows people who are capable of making sacrifices work overtime, and therefore raise the bar unnecessarily. No matter how much a company attempts to reinforce a 8 hour work day; people will sneak around it to keep up or to get ahead. This unbalances the playing field for parents. I myself am guilty of putting in more time than necessary. Sometimes I need to get a report in before eurozone starts, so I push something out at 11pm.

It's in the best interests for a company to maintain the interests of people with children. People with children tend to stay longer and keep skill in your company, since they prefer stability. Compare this with new grads that job hop every year.

Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#42

Post by [deleted] »

asciident wrote: post #19
pyronik19 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a team of 4 people. 2 have families, 2 don't. The ones that don't picked up the slack for the ones that did. Work quality was equal, but output was greater for the singles. The team has 2 slots for promotion. Do you ignore the fact that the single people put in more work or do you factor it in in the promotion decision?

In this scenario, is there a way to handle the promotions such that no one is upset? I can't think of one. Maybe put them on different tracks -- those who took "parental flexibility" can get promoted, but it occurs later, and the money saved from that deferred promotion gets given to the singles who put in extra time/effort? Not sure, just brainstorming.

[deleted]

Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#44

Post by treeman79 »

codemac wrote: post #5

Personally, I struggle with these feelings as well. It seems nuts that someone working 50%+ less than someone else is going to keep all the same equity, vacation, and salary. Then again it seems nuts that they don't. All employees who had children or family members to care for before or after COVID get none of the same support. I don't think backpay is coming for those who were forced to take leave or even quit their…

Have small elementary age kids. It’s rough. 8-10 interruptions the first couple hours of work. Then meltdown over being hungry.

Then afternoon interruptions because they are bored. Lots of crappy reasons, but also because they want me to spend time with them.

Also dealing with my own chronic illness. I was managing to cope/hide before Covid.

Between it all is a sense of guilt of not getting enough done for work and not supporting kids enough.

Other day I got a note under the door asking if I would draw a cat. Man talk about breaking heart.

Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#45

Post by mc32 »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #4

I am a middle-aged adult with no children who's worked at tech firms for the past couple decades. To be honest, the "resentment" of those without children have for "benefits" those with children get strikes me as extremely selfish, immature and displaying a total lack of empathy. This is time off specifically to take care of children, something now that has become exceedingly more difficult in Covid times. What's nex…

I agree. Parents are making sacrifices which benefit society as a whole. Those children the parents are taking care of now will be the ones who will provide for the one complaining now via taxes as well as services rendered to them.

If anything, companies should be providing more childcare so that more women (as well as some men) will have less of a burden balancing career and caregiving.

I see these people as being petty complainers who wouldn’t raise their own children (own or adopted) but complain someone else is willing to be a productive member of society engaging in the workforce and raising the productive adults of tomorrow when these complainers will be asking for benefits and services that would be unavailable without future adults.

It's similar to "I don't take the bus, why should my taxes pay for public transit."

I would concede if there are people exploiting this privilege then that’s a problem and management should address it.

Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#46

Post by 01100011 »

pyronik19 wrote: post #9
rblatz wrote: post #2

A lot of this feels like people looking into their neighbor's bowl to see if they are getting more than them. Love him or hate him Louis C.K. has a great quote here “The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them.” Times are tough, don't blame the parents for what they have to do, blame your management if…

There is a team of 4 people. 2 have families, 2 don't. The ones that don't picked up the slack for the ones that did. Work quality was equal, but output was greater for the singles. The team has 2 slots for promotion. Do you ignore the fact that the single people put in more work or do you factor it in in the promotion decision?

If I were managing that team, I would consider a one-time bonus to the single employees going above and beyond, and award promotions based on more long-term factors. I don't think stepping up to the plate during a crisis necessarily makes you promotion worthy. If anything, I think many parents display better management skills.

I am 45 and childless for what it's worth.

Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#47

Post by Barrin92 »

ll931110 wrote: post #12
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #4

I am a middle-aged adult with no children who's worked at tech firms for the past couple decades. To be honest, the "resentment" of those without children have for "benefits" those with children get strikes me as extremely selfish, immature and displaying a total lack of empathy. This is time off specifically to take care of children, something now that has become exceedingly more difficult in Covid times. What's nex…

The problem is, people without children are told (or required) to pick up the workload left behind when the coworkers having children taking (multiple) weeks off. For once or twice that might be okay, but if became a chronic problem, no wonder they are not happy.

I'm perfectly fine with working more than people with children right now, because children are as the saying goes, quite literally our future.

I don't have any but seeing how difficult it is for friends right now who do I am perfectly fine with picking up some extra work.

I wish we could stop treating this like an individual issue, as we do everything nowadays, which is probably why we're getting so screwed by this virus to begin with.

Re: Tech firms face growing resentment of parent employees during Covid-19

#49

Post by [deleted] »

codemac wrote: post #26
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #4

I am a middle-aged adult with no children who's worked at tech firms for the past couple decades. To be honest, the "resentment" of those without children have for "benefits" those with children get strikes me as extremely selfish, immature and displaying a total lack of empathy. This is time off specifically to take care of children, something now that has become exceedingly more difficult in Covid times. What's nex…

> cancer patient gets extra time off so why don't I? In my experience they actually don't, and they aren't paid during the same period either. They are forced to take medical leave, and receive significantly reduced pay.

[deleted]
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