What's you 'back up plan' if they can't attend nursery?

2nd week back at work and P has caught a throat and eye infection  

I have had to take today off work and H will take tomorrow off. Luckily my Mum's here Weds and she should be fine to go back on Thursday but what a pain!

What do you do? Do you have parents to look after them? Or do you take a day off unpaid or as holiday?

x

it tends to be me that has to be available regardless.  I tend to try and get half a day working at home in and half a day leave.  Mr S's contribution is to phone his mum to see if he can help.

He is good when she's in hospital and will do an early start at work so he can sort out her tea and put her to bed in hospital.

when she was in PICU i got signed off sick.

This last time she was in hospital i was also signed off sick because i wasn't very well.

We are really lucky that MIL has Izzy Monday and Tuesday, my mum has her on a Friday and I'm off with her on a Thursday.  When she had chicken pox a few weeks ago H had the Wednesday off as I had a really import person coming into work and I had to go.  Otherwise I would have worked from home.  If she's poorly and MIL or my mum are looking after her I try to work from home so I can be around if she needs me.

Oh no! You called them then...

Well, when I was working it used to be either me or Mr M who would look after S (if she's actually ill she doesn't want to be anywhere else), so as soon as we could we'd look at our work diaries and work out who could best do what so we shared the load. Because I work closer to home it was often simpler for it to be me, but Mr M did a good third of the stay-at-homes.

Otherwise if she was kept off but not ill (IYSWIM) then we might ask MIL.

Mr M and I both kept a good week form our AL in case of needing to use it - I never actually took unpaid in the end, I always balanced it against AL, or made up the time (with agreement from boss) or what sometimes happened was I'd be ill myself at the same time (either same thing or through complete lack of sleep) so would take sick leave.

The first couple of months are a bug-fest, i think I warned you before, then she will become immune to the everyday nursery lurg x

It always falls to me here, it's just easier. Usually I've been up all night with them anyway, so am too tired, or sick myself to work. I either call in sick, or take annual leave.

well I am at home today since she seems to have a stomach bug and is unwell.  Generally that is what we do I take time off either as time off for dependents or annual leave.  To date she has never had longer than three days off so we have been able to cover it this way if it was longer though I would have to get my mum down (although that is a 400 mile trip so its not something I could do regualarly!).  Thankfully the organisation is reasonably child friendly and I can do bits of my job from home, so its not been too bad, plus she (compared to a lot of her peers) seems thankfully to be pretty healthy!

I really don't want to take it unpaid as I have to still pay nursery as well so in effect I'd be losing over £120 each day! I suppose I could take it as AL, or I wonder if I could make the time up? Luckily my office is open at weekends so I could always work a Sat or Sun. Best speak to the boss me thinks re flexible working hours/days...

I was well warned Madonna but didn't think it'd happen in the second week

I wish we had a parent that didn't work and could look after P at short notice. Gah.

Seems we are all in the same boat though, I hope all our bosses are understanding.

Most bosses are - mine weren't all the time (I had the 'so what IS your emergency childcare if nursery can't take her?' 'errr.... you're talking to it' chat at some point with my childless boss, who managed to make me feel 2cm tall) but mostly they are.

I think so long as you appreciate that absence is not just inconvenient for you but for them, most bosses get over it - the people who get into most strife at work are those who swan in and out without a care on a regular basis. Ultimately though you do have a right to unpaid emergency dependant care leave so if any boss did get very shirty you could take it up formally.

Has she got Minadex? Good stuff for keeping her well and getting her over illness...

If you ever got sincerely stuck you know I'm free a couple of days a week x

I don't have a back up plan.  It's normally me that takes time off but if, God forbid, F goes sick in the next few weeks, we're stuffed as both MrBoB and I are really under pressure at work and can't loose a day there.

It makes me very envious of those with family close enough (geographically or emotionally) to help.

<crosses fingers>

BoB x

M you're too kind Interesting about the unpaid emergency care, I wasn't aware of that. Actually now I think about it that's what my Mum did with me when I was pregnant. I thought that was just something the NHS offered though!

Lots of stay well vibes to F BoB x Envious here too!

On Tues & Weds my mum and MIL are around and look after the boys.  If it was a Thurs then I'd work from home.

If I had to take the time off, it would be holiday and not unpaid leave.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Timeoffandholidays/DG_10026555 x

Bookmarked x