Mine aren't particualry forgiving, it seems, but I am also not aware of all my rights either.
Just a quick question to those parents out there......if for instance your child is really ill and you need to take time off because of this, how do employers generally deal with this in CH?? Would they frown upon it andd are there any laws that would protect/give parents certain rights?
Problem is with chicken-pox it can take up to 2 weeks, even though the acute phase is only about 3 days- and it is unlikely your employer will allow you to stay home for that long. It's not easy, especially as like us we didn't have any family to fall back on, but when we had young kids, we made sure that we had a back-up plant for such cases, as we didn't want to let down colleagues and those who relied on us in our jobs. We are now the voluntary back-up plan for our grand-children, even though they live in UK- I'd just jump on the next plane.
Our HR lady said that (within reason) the rule of thumb is when a child is sick it is as if you are sick and you can take the time off in the same way.
This changes if the sickness is extended, for example if the child is in hospital for a long time.
Luckily my mother is visiting in France at the moment, she came to look after my daughter whilst I went on a business trip to the Germany. Trouble is that at 70 the sleepless nights are a bit too much for her....I cannot send my daughter to the child minder as she has 3 kids as well.
I think I can get away with it this time, but next time I need to know what I can do....
My workplace offers 2 days 3 times per year for sick children. It is just meant to give you enough time to arrange other care.
Which is more or less the same for most employees in the UK btw.
My employer allows the line manager to make the call regarding how long you can stay off if your child is sick, but will honour the minimum of three days per sickness as a standard. My line manager changed half way through last year and the new one decided to mark me down in my performance review for number of sick days taken (my little one got pneumonia and then picked up every chest bug going after that). Just a warning
By law you are entitled up to 3 days off for each parent for each illness BUT this is meant to be for making other arrangements, not the sole way of caring for a sick child.
Also, only the first 3 days in the year have to be paid, the rest the employer can not pay you, but have to let you stay home.
Most big companies however are quite flexible, especially if you show you try to work from home when child sleeps etc etc
You obviously need a sick certificate from your child doctor.
Cheers,
K
Can't you work from home? If my kids are really ill, then I can't work, but when they are sleeping I can log on and answer emails, check my automated things run ok, ect.
Basically it really comes down to your employers or supervisors flexibility on the matter. I know some that can be quite generous and allow a parent to work from home for example. It may also help to get a certificate from the pediatrician to say that the child must stay home under a parents supervision for x days.
Also, wanted to add, assume Basel or where you are near Basel has this on offer as well. An offshoot of the Red Cross offers a back-up/emergency system to specifically look after sick children when the parents can not. Both GE and VD have this and a friend has used this a number of times with very good feedback. In GE it is called chaperon rouge and in VD I believe it is the Red Cross/croix rouge itself to contact. I would guess/hope Basel has something similar through the Red Cross.
I would raise that with HR.
Cheers,
Nick
I think when you have a sick child, he becomes or should become your priority. You don't care about letting down your colleagues or those who rely on you, because the main person who relies on you and needs you the most at that time is your child.
That's why it's important for families who haven't got any relatives around to know other parents in the neighborood who would be available and could help.
Whether you like it or not, your colleagues, employers and clients will view this as a 'weakness' not a strength. I work hard, juggle lots and have a job with a supportive employer who appreciates the fact that I have three children and my husband can only occasionally take sick days off.
It is a big dilemma and source of stress.
There are some rights, but it's also assumed that you can make a back-up plan. It's not 'normal' to have both parents working, and you'll definitely come across the more traditional idea that the mother should be the one to care for the child, and the father is the 'breadwinner' and must maintain his employment at all cost.