Discrimination at work.

I would like to know how many people on here feel that they have been discriminated against in the work place, because they chose not to have childrean? Example one, someone in you're department has a small child and they are not performing their job up to standards and the company expects you to pick up the slack. Example two, a person in you're department if given a few days of because of their child, but when you want a few days for you're personal reasons you are not given the same consideration and respect.

 

Well, we have a lot of it in my workplace, and not only due to family reasons... alot more than that, i.e. nationality, religion, to name just two.

 

Well, we have a lot of it in my workplace, and not only due to family reasons... alot more than that, i.e. nationality, religion, to name just two.

 

Children usually require some extra attention from their parents.

Have I been given extra leeway then my non-children counterparts? Yes.

 

Most companies have provisions for special leave, family days, bereavement, long term disability, etc. These are issues that are normally addressed at the beginning of your career (when you are hired) with your employer.

Usually there are policies and procedures in place that deal with discrimination, conflicts and human rights. There should be absolutely no reason why an employer should favor staff members who have children over those who do not. Any employer who would take advantage of such a situation is not worth working for. Employers who discriminate or take advantage of certain employees should be avoided.

 

But if I understand your line of work correctly, Bruce, this is least that your employer could do for you.

 

I have seen it both ways, but an interesting note, we have family leave now for the Fathers - he took 4 weeks (can take up to 6). On his first day back, he was laid off.........

 

Bruce,

I agree with you that children need special attention from their parents. However when you're employer gave you leeway did he or she expect you're co-workers that don't have children to pick up the slack? Also is the same amount of leeway given to workers without children, when they need it for their own reasons and is it given to them with the same amount of respect?

When a person has a child it usually because they have chosen to do so or they were not being responsible during sexual activity. So why should their co-workers without children be punished for their choice or lack of responsibility . We are living in a society where adults are acting like children by not taking full responsibility for their actions.

Bo

 

I agree with you 100%. However this is becoming a growing problem with major companies in North America, where employers are discriminating against workers without children. A lot of employer seem to have this idea that if you don't have children you have a lot more free time on you're hands so they expect you to work more. Yes, a lot of employees don't have children, but that is their choice and it should be respected, and no one should be against discriminating them you for it.

Bo

 

Maybe you are overreacting....

Lets see:

a. It will be our children who pay your social security when you retire.

b. It is parents ensuring the world still goes around tomorrow because without children there wouldn't be one. Look at is what is happening in countries with negative population growth.

c. Because parents have school age children they can only take vacation over the summer and during the Christmas so they pay twice as much. Those without children get far more value when they go on vacation and have more of it since theirs don't get burnt up for kids events.

d. Parents own larger homes so they pay way more in property taxes.

e. I fork over roughly $10k per year for tuition and they go to cheap schools.

f. A good chunk of the economy is driven by the needs of the family so your job may actually exist because of families.

g. Parents have to own geeky vehicles so the kids can fit in them (minivans).

Point is, w/o kids there will be no world tomorrow and it is no bed of roses being a parent. Remember, you chose to be single just like they chose to be parents. Live with your choices.

 

I think there are two issues here.

1. Are children worth giving some leeway from employers.

2. Should those without kids pick up slack for those who have kids.

I can say, if an employee approached me, I would go out of my way to make sure the make they kid's recital, awards banquet, etc. Should those without kids make up for it. If they want to, but it shouldn't be required.

Right now I do not have kids, and when I was a restaruant server back in my teens, I always picked up holidays, so families could be with their kids. My 3 dogs and 4 cats don't seem to know when it is Christmas morning (though they know what a Christmas tree is and we do giv ethem presents, kind of corny, I know), we celebrate the next day, but an 8 year old would probably know.....

I take the motto, do onto others..... I don't mind, but those who do, don't do it.

 

I wouldn't call this discrimination - this is just doing your job. We are all expected to do what we have to do in order to accomplish the mission or task at hand, even if that means (temporarily) making up for the deficiencies of others around us. By the same token, if someone isn't pulling their end of the workload, then management needs to address the issue.

Now, if the person who routinely doesn't meet or exceed the expectations of their job role gets promoted, or receives a pay increase, while someone else who has carried the workload for them gets passed over, this may be grounds for discrimination. Note the words "may be". There are a lot of other factors to be considered.

You may have a valid complaint here.

Cheers.

 

Aren't children covered under the family leave act, so by law when someone needs a few days off for a sick child, it is protected (since they are dependent on their parent). This may be why it seems unfair, the government has protected the rights and given certain advantages to parents.

Much like the tax pentaly for being married, I pay higher taxes now,.

 

Yes, children are covered under the FMLA, as are other members of immediate family.

http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_825/29CFR825.100.htm

 

Re: Maybe you are overreacting....

Bo

 

I agree with you, but there is a lot of people without children that were asked to pick up the slack at work because of people with kids can't do their job right. When they reused to do so their employer made them feel like there a bad person or something is wrong with them.

 

Re: Re: Discrimination at work.

Yes, but most of the time people with children use their child as an excuse and management let's them of the hook.

 

Heres another

There are endless studies that prove parents who take time out for their kids are less successful in the workplace. It is being proven that the real glass ceiling for women and now sometimes men is not so much sexism but the demands parenthood put on workers. They pay an economic price in lost wages as well as in income spent raising their children. What you view as discrimination against you is actually discrimination in your favor.

Your taxes don't pay for my childs school, my local property taxes do. And since single people rarely own homes they aren't doing much to support property taxes. My wife and I pay roughly 15% more taxes than two single people because of the marriage penalty. Because of what we make we benefit almost nothing from deductions for our children as they faze out as your income goes up. I pay 100% for my daughters tuition because a family of 4 loses help at about $70k per annum. Who can pay for school and a home etc. on that after taxes? I take out loans which I will be paying for the next 10 years. My single friends save money and take long vacations but I raise the kids which will support you in your old age.

Face it, without future workers you would not receive your social security. You are maligning those you will rely on in the future. Also, you seem to forget you were a kid once so someone put up with you and paid for your education.

If overpopulation is a problem it doesn't come from the average American. Without immigration, we would have negative or stable population growth. Don't equate other countries problems with yours.

You are making a generalization about every workplace based on yours. Guess what, the world does not revolve around you so don't assume it is the same everywhere. I find that it is the single person who is constantly taking such long vacations that they have to be covered for because the parents' vacation gets nitpicked here and there so they aren't gone long enough to be missed. But that is my experience and I won't assume that is general. Take some sociology classes before you get your MBA. You have a lot to learn about societies.

Remember one thing, you will grow old and go to a hospital. Our children will take care of you. You may go to a nursing home and one of our children will take care of you. Mmy two daughters have already worked at one and weren't even out of high school. You will grow old and require huge amounts of social support and our childrens taxes will support that. In short bo, there is no future for you or this country without children. You were a child once and some adult had to put up with you. And going by your self serving rant I bet you were a trial to put up with.

But you know what? I don't care! Because when I grow old and die there will be people who will lament my passing. Someday, someone will research their family tree and wonder about their great great great grandpa chris. I see my children grow to adults and I am so proud of them my heart bursts. And when I grow old I will do so with their children around me and I will know their love. What do you have? You will be one of those people at the nursing home whom no one visits. The ones who talk of the friends and family long gone. The ones who die and have only the undertaker and hearse driver at their funeral. In short, when they are gone they are gone and no one could care less. My daughters whom you seem to despise used to take their time to visit them and to throw them parties on their unpaid time. They went back until those they knew died. My children were the ones to visit them. Where were you Bo, whom have you helped out lately?

I do pity you bo, but not because somebody made you work a few extra hours. I pity you because of something really important. I pity you the cold and bleak future that you don't even know awaits you. It's not to late bo. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out and enjoy your fellow man. You may be surprised what you find.

 

I worked with a lady who was regularly taking time off for some sort of "family" issue, son and/or daughter sick, her sister just got in from Arkansas and she needed the time off, etc. I took two days off for my brother's funeral after his sudden death, and I was written up for it. A guy got called for jury duty. They had a rule that if you were on Jury duty, you had to finish your workday after you were done with court duties for the day. This guy got sequestered. He got fired.

 

Man, you've been working for the wrong employers. First job I ever got fired from I got fired from because I asked for one week off. That week? The week after my first child was born.

I asked for one week off to help my wife, since we had no family in Montreal to chip in.

Nobody took up my slack, buster.

The phrase, "One week for parental leave" resulted in a long laugh over the phone -- just before, "If you don't show up tomorrow, you're fired."

December 26th, 1988. Yes -- fired the day after Christmas because someone decided he wasn't going to take up the slack of a new father. On paper -- the guy said I quit. So, I couldn't even collect unemployment insurance and had to live on welfare as a result. All my choice, right?

Do you know how many positions I've turned down because they require travel? Every single one of those jobs probably went to some single guy who made up for my "slack" attitude about flying around the world and leaving my wife and kids back home. For crying out loud, Bo, you are at a great advantage in the workplace over the fathers and mothers. Cash in on your lucky strike, make your fortune while you are still single. Let us parents slack off.