Linked: In the Covid-19 Economy, You Can Have a Kid or a Job. You Can’t Have Both.

I’ve been thinking about this when it comes to law firms rusing to “get back to normal”. Are they considering what happens to staff with kids who may or may not be going to daycare over the Summer, let alone to school in the Fall?

“Last week, I received an email from my children’s principal, sharing some of the first details about plans to reopen New York City schools this fall. The message explained that the city’s Department of Education, following federal guidelines, will require each student to have 65 square feet of classroom space. Not everyone will be allowed in the building at once. The upshot is that my children will be able to physically attend school one out of every three weeks.

At the same time, many adults — at least the lucky ones that have held onto their jobs — are supposed to be back at work as the economy reopens. What is confusing to me is that these two plans are moving forward apace without any consideration of the working parents who will be ground up in the gears when they collide.”

And yes, I mentioned staff because pre-COVID, the lawyers could get pretty flexible in where and when they worked. That same flexibility was not often offered to staff.

So, that single parent who works in the mail room, or the secretary who’s spouse is also working full time and expected to go back to their job? What do they do? How are you accommodating them, or will you end up with an office full of people like me, who don’t have kids, because we’re the only ones who can work for you?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/business/covid-economy-parents-kids-career-homeschooling.html

Follow these topics: Career, LawFirms, Links