One thing really annoying that I’ve noticed working in the white collar industry is that some people get a free pass all the time on important things, just because they have kids. For example, in a different team who often has to step away during business hours and becomes unreachable, simply because they have kids. There’s always some sort of excuse with them. Have to go pick him up from the bus stop, have to go pick him up from school because they got in trouble, dance recital during the middle of the day, always something. But when it comes to ordinary normal people who don’t have kids, it feels like there’s a lot more scrutiny. Why do you need a doctor’s appointment in the middle of the day? Why do you need to go pick up a prescription at lunch time, like why can’t you work through lunch?
But also, when it comes to employment, it feels like there’s a lot of preferential treatment for people with children. Oh that person has kids / children! They need the job a lot more. They have a little girl! Clearly they need it more than the the person who has a disabled spouse, because kids are way more important than an adult dependent! We can’t fire this person, they have kids! Let’s choose someone who doesn’t have a family. Like, stuff like this. Why is there so much preferential treatment to people who have children? Is this some sort of utilitarian thing? The least number of people affected?
This might be unique to each parent as well. Some children do require extra attention and it is very difficult to managed work time in.
With most schools letting kids out around 3pm it’s not easy to keep the children occupied before the work day is finished. This leaves parents either on a work call with kids heard in the background or working late at night al week.
Think of it as if the person is a caretaker and a full time employee at your company. It’s basically two full times just that happen to overlap during the day.
I think calling it a privilege is really unfair but if the people are missing work and not meeting deadlines then management needs to step in and work out a solution. Work life balance is hard.