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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

#451

Post by gus_massa »

falcolas wrote: post #250
gus_massa wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We had a 24 hours electricity outage last week. (Some problem with an electric wire in the whole block after a heavy rain). Should I buy an electricity generator just in case? I expect to be able to send the kids to school, perhaps at least a few hours per day. It is impossible now. An in case the school is not working, I can send them with one of the grandmas or the other. But we are currently in the peak of the pan…

Glad to hear you're taking responsibility for your life choices in this time of hardship. But... that's what you signed up for when you made the decision to have a child. I guess the question is: Do you believe that you should receive benefits above and beyond those of childless adults because of your life choices? That the act of becoming a parent is so sacred it should grant you benefits in otherwise unrelated area…

We have a saying here: "Today for you, tomorrow for me." I'm not sure how is the best translation.

I have a few teacher assistants in the university, and when possible we try to cover each other and keep the class going. Some problems are not related to kids.

* When the parents die, sometimes you must go all the previous week to the hospital. Or in a better scenario, you have to help your parents to go to the doctor.

* Some unexpected or chronic health problems. Sometimes small changes in the actives distribution can help.

* Problems with the car, for example after a small crash you must take the car to the official mechanics of the insurance.

* One of the water pipes is leaking and it is "raining" in the apartment bellow. The plumber promised to arrive in an hour...

* A trip to a conference or a similar event.

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

#452

Post by newen »

nickff wrote: post #294
jdm2212 wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone has to provide the goods and services you'll consume when you're old. Those people are today's kids, whose parents are doing you a big favor at considerable expense to themselves. Raising children isn't like smoking, a hobby, a side hustle, or other miscellaneous personal obligations. It's more like military service and jury duty -- an essential service that some people perform to ensure that society as we kn…

Except that the children disproportionately benefit the parents (unlike jury duty or military service). This is a heads-parents-win, tails-childless-lose scenario. Your comment would be completely correct if the children ceased all communications and transactions with the parent upon entry into the labor force; but that's not what happens.

Well, your social security money will be coming directly from those kids working. Just one example of non-parents benefiting.

In fact, your entire existence as an old person will be completely dependent on those kids working.

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

#453

Post by throwawaybabies »

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'm probably going to get downvoted for being "selfish" but I absolutely do not care about the continuation of the human race and I want as much time off as my coworkers who made the bad life decision choice of making children.

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

#454

Post by zem »

ng12 wrote: post #147
mc32 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

What I've seen is the complaints are largely coming from couples that want to raise kids while both parents work full time jobs. Asking for fewer hours so you can continue that lifestyle is asking your employer and fellow employees to subsidize your second income, not your ability to have and raise children. My coworkers with SAH spouses aren't feeling the burn anywhere near as badly -- it's just an extended summer f…

it's not "your" second income, it's your spouse's first income! one person, one income.

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

#455

Post by AlexCoventry »

rootusrootus wrote: post #204
kevstev wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a mid 30s childless man I completely agree. We essentially sent people home on a Friday, told them to figure out a work from home situation, and then they were told welp your kids aren't going to school either, and whatever childcare you had lined up has now vanished too- and this is all happening in the course of a few days at most. So now you have kids to worry about all day, home schooling to oversee, focusing…

Ignoring the obvious downsides for a moment, I'd happily trade places with one of my childless coworkers right about now. This morning I went up and down the stairs at least ten times while trying to get my 7- and 9-year old kids successfully established in their first remote learning session, simultaneously participating in two consecutive Zoom meetings with coworkers, and figuring out how to solve a nagging issue i…

> the obvious downsides

They're not obvious to me... What are the downsides?

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

#457

Post by crawshaw »

Someone took care of us when we were young. By the time we can be employed by major corporations for far more than the average family makes, we all owe a debt to those who care for the young.

We cannot truly pay back those who took care of us, so we pay it forward. Maybe that payment will only ever be supporting the caregivers by our side. That is worthy work.

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

#458

Post by devit »

jacquesm wrote: post #162
usrusr wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By that measure, one could get the absurd idea to expect getting paid time off for that woodworking project. It even has "work" right in the name. Nobody does expect that though. Better arguments should be easy to find.

Woodworking is a hobby. Raising kids is a full time job, no time off, no pay, no changing jobs.

It's possible to put up the kids for adoption, or more practically aborting them in advance.

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

#459

Post by rhizome »

rootusrootus wrote: post #204
kevstev wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a mid 30s childless man I completely agree. We essentially sent people home on a Friday, told them to figure out a work from home situation, and then they were told welp your kids aren't going to school either, and whatever childcare you had lined up has now vanished too- and this is all happening in the course of a few days at most. So now you have kids to worry about all day, home schooling to oversee, focusing…

Ignoring the obvious downsides for a moment, I'd happily trade places with one of my childless coworkers right about now. This morning I went up and down the stairs at least ten times while trying to get my 7- and 9-year old kids successfully established in their first remote learning session, simultaneously participating in two consecutive Zoom meetings with coworkers, and figuring out how to solve a nagging issue i…

A BIG chunk of all that drama is due to the US social safety net not including childcare.

That's the thing disturbing thing about these stories: employees are turned against each other when it's a) the company; and b) your tax dollars, not providing any kind of built-in childcare for society. In France, kids can go to preschool and have pre- and post- school childcare, which has to be paid, but it's only like $500/mo and has subsidies involved and all kinds of subtleties that I don't know about but still aren't expensive.

And I'm not saying "move to France," I'm saying that tax dollars in the US should be going toward making the lives of tax payers easier, especially in a nationwide/global situation like a pandemic.

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

#460

Post by moron4hire »

kevstev wrote: post #140
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…

As a mid 30s childless man I completely agree. We essentially sent people home on a Friday, told them to figure out a work from home situation, and then they were told welp your kids aren't going to school either, and whatever childcare you had lined up has now vanished too- and this is all happening in the course of a few days at most. So now you have kids to worry about all day, home schooling to oversee, focusing…

Nitpick: institutional schooling over Zoom is not the same thing as home schooling. The teaching methods are different, the culture is very different, and home schooling is normally a choice that families make, not something foisted on them.
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