by Karen Greenberg

Created on: December 09, 2007

In most cases I do not believe that women should bring their children to work. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but for the most part children have no business in the work-place. As a business owner I would not allow my employees to bring their children to work.

When an employer is paying someone to do a job that person should do their best to give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Having a child in the office would be distracting, not only to the parent of that child but to the employees in the surrounding area. Children do not have the ability to sit for long periods of time, understand work etiquette, and to be quiet in the times they need to be.

Children should also not be allowed at work due to safety issues. Even in an office that would generally be considered safe people are just not expecting children to be around. The children could get stepped on or run into. Curious children could find office supplies that were accidentally left unattended such as paper cutters or shredders, scissors, or any number of supplies that we just don't think about as being dangerous until a child is in the room.

There are a few exceptions to mother's bringing their children to work and the appropriateness of this situation. These exceptions are largely in the case of a work from home parent. In that case, being able to have your child at "work" with you is a benefit of having that job.

In my opinion we have grown into a society in which we want to have our cake and eat it, too. We want to be around our children, yet we want to work in jobs that take us outside of the home. We can't have it both ways. If mothers choose to have an outside job they should make other arrangements for their children.

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