I was primarily commenting on the perception that parents are having a gay old time playing hooky when they have to take time with parenting issues. Of course all people should have reasonable accommodations allowed to them whether they have kids or not.
But you have to be careful of judging "reasonable" through the eyes of single twenty-something (or any single opinionated person for that matter). In the end you may restrict yourself to young unencumbered people who can afford to live their life according to a universal office schedule. But this can be harmful when you lose out on different experience and abilities. It's not necessarily true that the person working 12 hours every day is outperforming the 8 hour a day clock puncher. If you optimize for butt-in-seat time rather than overall productivity don't be surprised when you have substandard results.
I work three days a week, man, and actively resist working more. I am about as far from the type to live according to a universal office schedule as possible. What I'm saying still stands: "because I have kids" for a parent is no more of a valid excuse than "I have a thing I want to do" for anybody else. They are time you are not doing work you have (in theory) agreed to do, and to an employer they should be the same thing.
Well first of all you are violently agreeing with me if you go back and read the second sentence of my last reply.
But to your last point, things you have to do to take care of your kids are emphatically not the same as "I have a thing I want to do". These things are all on a continuum, but kids are far more demanding than hobbies. I'm guessing you don't have kids to make such an equation.
> things you have to do to take care of your kids are emphatically not the same as "I have a thing I want to do"
Nope, wrong, full stop. Your kids are important to you. They take time to deal with. My side interests are important to me. They take time to deal with. From the perspective of the business, there is no meaningful difference.
I don't have kids. I don't need to have kids to understand that your parental activities are not more demanding than, say, building a startup or developing a video game. But thanks for trotting out that tired chestnut. I'm more annoyed with your sneering attitude towards the childless than anything. You should stop.
Nope, wrong, full stop, truly spoken like someone with no kids and no idea of the reality of managing people.
Excuses are obviously on a continuum of validity that has nothing to do with kids vs not kids. For instance, if you have to go to the doctor that is a more valid excuse than you want to go to an amusement park and ride a roller coaster. To suggest all things are equal in terms of valid excuses is ridiculous on its face. As a manager you have to recognize that people are humans and that stuff is complicated. With your attitude you will not be able to retain any employees but the most desperate to retain a job.
But you have to be careful of judging "reasonable" through the eyes of single twenty-something (or any single opinionated person for that matter). In the end you may restrict yourself to young unencumbered people who can afford to live their life according to a universal office schedule. But this can be harmful when you lose out on different experience and abilities. It's not necessarily true that the person working 12 hours every day is outperforming the 8 hour a day clock puncher. If you optimize for butt-in-seat time rather than overall productivity don't be surprised when you have substandard results.