Sick Child - Single Working Mother

[Hads]

Where do I stand when I am unable to attend work due to my daughter being off sick from school? Not a 1 off accosion but 3 spells in 6 months?

[crabby70]

I read your other post...You can ask a friend if they have anyone they trust (aunt,grandmother)  that would be willing to watch your child when needed....best of luck

[ChitChatNIne]

Just last May '07 there is a new law in effect that a company cannot discriminate you (in regard to your job) because of caregiver responsibilities.  As long as your job performance is not suffering they cannot hold it against you if you need to take time off because your daughter is ill.  However, in real life it is really a tough dilemma when this happens ... I have four children and I used to work full time with two in full-time daycare and it was a problem at work as you describe and back then (the 1990's) there was no legal protection.

Sometimes hospitals offer a sick daycare setting for the mildly ill child.  I used to use that with much guilt on my part but it worked out for me.

I am by no means an expert; I happened upon this new law while doing research for a college project last year . the topic of my research was whether working mothers were equally reliable as working men and guess what the research concluded:  Yes, they are equally reliable :)

Cheryl

[ChitChatNIne]

Here is the link to the new EEOC Law in effect May '07

http://www.gibbonslaw.com/news_publications/articles.php?action=display_publication&publication_id=2172

[peekawho]

Well...here's what the article you cite says in the conclusion:

"The bottom line is this: an employer cannot take adverse action against an employee with caregiving responsibilities where the action is linked to the employee’s gender, race, or other protected characteristic. The guidance does not prohibit an employer from legitimately assessing the employee’s actual work performance and taking action, even where the poor work performance may be directly tied to caregiving responsibilities."