Babies in the office. What say you?

Child care bridges two worlds

Employers open the door to on-the-job parenting

Globe Staff / November 14, 2007

SOMERVILLE - One recent morning at the offices of Farm Aid, as managers sat around a long table and talked business, Shailagh Heneghan got cranky.

She squirmed. She grumbled. She made sure everyone knew her displeasure. And so the staff did what they often do at Wednesday meetings: The associate director of the 22-year-old organization held Shailagh. Then the campaign director tucked her under his arm in the football hold. Finally, the operations director lifted Shailagh into her arms.

"We sort of did pass-the-baby," said Wendy Matusovich, Shailagh's mother and Farm Aid's resource development director.

When Matusovich returned to Farm Aid's Somerville headquarters from her maternity leave earlier this year, she did not return alone. With the blessing of her bosses and the agreement of her 11 co-workers, she brought Shailagh, now 6 months old, to share her office. While the baby slept in her car seat or gazed at a black-and-white dangling mobile, Matusovich did her work, sending e-mails, talking on the phone, attending meetings.

more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/11/14/child_care_bridges_two_worlds/?page=1

:popcorn:

:popcorn:

Irish Baby Girl Names N - Z

http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-n-z.html

Sheelagh "she + la" Sheila, Sheela

The Irish form of the Latin name Cecilia, the patron saint of music and implies "pure and musical."

Sinead "shin + aid" Jane, Janet, Janette Irish form of Jane "God is gracious."...

:rofl:

:P

They're a lot quieter and less smelly than most babies.

:rofl:

okay with other workers and it's a safe place! A lot of companies are starting to do this
now, in order to retain good employees and cut down on retraining costs for new ones.

Especially when they get a little older and start talking a lot and asking questions: "Daddy, what's this?" "Daddy, what's this for?" "Daddy, do you have a pen?" "Daddy, why did you put my picture there?" "Daddy, when are we leaving?"

Not that I'd know anything about that.

:P

and, it was when I had to work late and my wife couldn't pick her up... so, I'd go to her preschool (1.5 miles from my office) and get her and bring her back for an hour or two while I finished up.

and work in a child-friendly office. i have 4 kids but when i come to work, i don't come to see (or hear) more noisy kids. :shrug:

Someones reading her book.

:D

Babies can be fed and put to sleep. Toddlers on the other hand need constant stimulus and get cranky when ignored.

Babies are usually out of the work place at age 6 months.
http://www.babiesatwork.org/5_implement_overview_13.html

Then off to day care or a nanny.

US Companies that are baby friendly --
http://www.babiesatwork.org/9_companies_overview.html

http://www.babiesatwork.org/

Sorry, not going to happen. I doubt any of the mothers here would pass one to me anyway.

brought their babies in. But I like babies.

Of course, it was never an every-day thing, so it might've gotten old. And once they're 18 months or so - old enough to annoy me - they should stay home. Unless they're really really cute and call me "Unka Monkeyfunk"

If not then it is fine by me

find ways to integrate child-care into the workplace. Baby-friendly offices and on-site daycare should be common!

:)

C'mon - how many of Wendy's coworkers really felt free to voice disagreement with the idea? Unless it's on-site daycare run by licensed professionals, this is a bad idea that I cannot support.

I'd sue the employer for creating a hostile work environment. Leave the seed outside. Run over it after the show.

:)

Sorry. :hide:

then I don't really care.

On the other hand, I've had some people bring in babies who cry and fuss, which can be annoying.

I've thought about bringing in my parrot just to level the playing field a little.

"Oh, Stacy, your baby has gotten into the hydrochloric acid again."