When will crèches open again?

Our place takes around 30 kids between baby room (5), toddler room (5, including my chap) a ECCE/play-school set up (10) and then a before school/after school club (10). Although the latter two sections have effectively been shut down, a few are still being accommodated as they’re children of essential workers. On the other hand, some baby/toddler folk haven’t been allowed to or haven’t bothered sending children in.

I met one of the crèche workers when out for a scoot earlier and she said they’ve had 9 or 10 throughout January and my chap has been in a room with one other toddler and 4 babies. He doesn’t give a shit though, he just plays with letters and numbers all day anyway.

We’d copped that the staff seemed to be working on rotation, as you’d see different workers on different days (good for infection control). She confirmed in response to be my skilled and nuanced probing that full time staff are working 2 days per week and part time staff are down to 1 day per week. Apparently everyone has been happy to stay on and take the reduced hours rather than going fully onto the PUP, hence the different workers on different days. She said she’s delighted with the lie ins and the general set up.

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When is your life partner back to work?

I feel very sorry for my life partner’s friend. Whole household (2 adults and 2 children have crèche acquired COVID-19). The two of them work in financial reporting and had year-end to deal with.

Still they kept the 2 children at home (4 & 2 years old) for most of January and had some mental system going. She’d work from 5.30am-1.30pm and he’d take the kids. He’d get them down for a lunchtime nap around 12/12.30pm and work from then until 10ish. She’d then take over when they woke up and have them for the afternoon/evening and log back on for a couple of hours after they went to bed.

Eventually they cracked the week before last as deadlines were looming and it was proving impossible to juggle everything. They sent them back to crèche and the young lad picked it up there earlier this week and passed it on. The little one has been in Temple Street as it’s had an affect on her tonsils. Nasty business and they really after trying to keep things going at home.

A lot of people don’t realise the sacrifices being made by chartered accountants, bankers and actuaries.

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Stay strong, you’ll be back having midday naps in no time whatsoever.

That’s mental. The expectations some companies put on their staff is ridiculous.

their routine there is actually very good if it works … realistically id say both WFH parents with homeschooling are probably at the same.
but there has to be flexibility. unless there are mandatory meetings they need to attend to , you should be able to work anytime as long as deadlines are adhered to…

9 to 5 is dead

It sure is. 7-8.30, 9.30-1, 2-6 Monday to Thursday and 1 hour on a friday.

That’s what I’ve arranged for the past year and it’s working a treat.

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Like father like son!!

4 day weeks are the way forward. I’ve had Mondays off since last June and work the equivalent of 90% of normal 5 day week hours of the remaining 4 days. Literally life-changing.

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Did you have to take a paycut for that or how does it work

Seems sweet

Mixture of different leaves, holiday days here and there (only a half day of a week) and some parental leave scattered in and a good understanding manager who is willing to look after their folks. Financial impact fairly negligible.

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Yeah, I’ll not be reverting to a 5 day week anytime soon.

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I’ve been working 5 half days for years now. I’ve just never told anyone

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Your friends need to get into management

I don’t know mac
I would work at least five days a week…but I certainly would not have regular hours or permanently be at the desk or WFH…I hate that rigidness. it would drive me crazy
ah look…you roll with the punches really…at busy times its easy to spend your whole life doing work and when it’s quiet just be blase.
a lot of folk I know just want flexibility…deadlines are the be all and end all obviously but you should be able to work where you want and when you want if your job enables it.
if your an operator a tech , mech etc you need to be on a site… but work that does not require an onsite presence should be allowed to be done anywhere…if performance suffers then obviously you’re into a room with the manager to trash that out

yeah.
not sure why he is friends with RCGs

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@balbec
they must be young team members or new hires managed by a friend of his wife id say

Different strokes Mick. There was a time I wanted the top seat and was trying to carve a path out. Then I realised that unless you’re running you’re own company every job is glorified middle management of some sort. Play the game for long enough and you can bounce around and find a happy spot. The key is not getting found.

I earned a healthy respect for lads who run their own business when I tried it. A simple task like getting paid vs knowing your salary is guaranteed. Maybe I’m a lazy cunt deep down and just want an easy life. I’ve a brother in law who built his own company and sold it for a few million which sounds great. But ask his kids who are in their 20s now about their childhood and they’ll tell you how they never saw him.

Life is short enough. It’s there to be enjoyed. Work should help pay for it, not dictate it.

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FTEs

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thats a great post mac and you’re point about finding that sweet middle management role on 80k playing the game is 100%…
now. as @balbec a man whose corporate expertise i respect said once on here. covid is finding a lot of these lads out, those roles, cushy , sweet spot, a lot of them require a visible onsite presence, you recycle messages you pass on information, look for that soundbite…covid may clean these lads out as that visibility and meeting room culture is now gone and deemed non value added…those are the boys who need back in ASAP as fellas contributions are now being measured differently

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