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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

#121

Post by luckylion »

marbletiles wrote: post #65
ll931110 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes, they should be unhappy about that: at their managers. Not at their colleagues attempting to care for children during a pandemic. I've heard a related thing about US workers resenting colleagues for taking paid time off for similar reasons, and it's just as weird to my European eyes. The difference a decent labour movement (or the legacy of one) can make to industrial relations is stark

But they are unhappy about their managers' decision to favor their colleagues.

If you give a tax rebate to anyone who's last name starts with A, are the other people not allowed to be annoyed, given that they have to pay more taxes to make up for the rebate?

"Why can't you just be happy for the A people?" feels weird.

Just pay those not taking time off for the time they would've taken off. It's not a complicated concept, it shows appreciation for them working harder than they'd need to if their colleagues were around.

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

#122

Post by loosescrews »

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…

At least in the US, the pandemic has changed everyone's life created stress for everyone. These policies seem to indicate that non-parents don't have an additional burden worth recognizing. It is easy to see it this way too as most of the managers and executives at big tech companies are parents.

For young non-parent tech workers, this may be the first time that they have to figure out how to feed themselves during the work week. I know many people who moved from home, to school, to big tech work were all of their meals are provided. This was one of the big perks they were sold when joining the company, and now it has been pulled out from under them. Some of them know how to cook, others don't. Either way, they have to learn how to manage working food preparation into their schedule.

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

#124

Post by MaximumYComb »

pojzon wrote: post #76
PeterisP wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well then, direct the anger at those who do the telling or the requiring.

That not always help but for sure will backfire at you. Im writing next part as a parent of two. We have in team people who take multiple days off due to taking care of children, often not even counting it as taking a day off. Management doesnt care and expects people who do not “exploit” their privilages to do work for 2-3-4 people. Its also not the way to go, but any comment about that is a hard “stop being so self…

If a standard work day is 8 hours and management expects you to do the work of 4 people then I'd argue that the company is already bleeding money.

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

#125

Post by [deleted] »

mmm_grayons wrote: post #11
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…

Well, there's a good argument to be made that having children is much more of a choice than having cancer. And yes, it's natural to be selfish, because employment benefits are at least something of a zero-sum game. More for one often means less for another. I could easily argue that those who demand extra benefits because of a personal decision they made (having children) are more selfish than those who resent that t…

[deleted]

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

#126

Post by wayneftw »

MaximumYComb wrote: post #87
calvinmorrison wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignoring the fact the education costs have skyrocketed since they went to school

So has the cost of caring for old people but they don't complain about that.

Do public taxes pay for my care when I’m old?

I thought we just got Social Security which is a fixed rate.

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

#127

Post by QuercusMax »

treeman79 wrote: post #44
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 n…

It's not much better with older kids either; I have 3 teens with mental health issues (depression/anxiety/migraines/ADHD) which have gotten worse with 6 months sheltering-in-place.

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

#128

Post by ngngngng »

tbatchelli wrote: post #57

How much of this issue is related to having a part of the population think that people having children is solely a private question? "You had children, why should I bear your burden!" If none of us had children there would d be no economy to support anyone's life in, let's say, 40 years from now. People making and raising new sane and healthy people should be considered a social and common good, for the sake of all,…

Yep. If you want to see something scary, go browse reddit.com/r/childfree

It's an entire community of people that feel like heroes for not having children, and despise the thought of even having to come into contact with a child. It carries a similar religious fervor to veganism but it doesn't actually help anyone or anything.

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

#130

Post by treeman79 »

codemac wrote: post #72
treeman79 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 n…

That sounds incredibly difficult. I hope you find ways to cope. I hope you get support from your company, or more than you are getting now.

On Job #3 since being injured.

Chronic conditions ebb and flow, sometimes I’m a great employee and sometimes I’m horrible. Hell sometimes I can’t even see the computer.

Turns out people/companies get tired of it after awhile. So limiting meetings and working solo when I can on large tricky projects is how I’m rolling.

I can solve stuff most can’t. I just need a lot of time to do it.

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