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> I don't assume that non-parents can or should pick up the slack. Maybe you don't assume that, but the system built around parenting does assume that. A clear

> I don't assume that non-parents can or should pick up the slack. Maybe you don't assume that, but the system built around parenting does assume that. A clear example of this is "new parent" time off. At my company, new parents can take 4 months off work (paid). So, if you work on a team of a dozen people, and 10 people on the team have children at some point, that means, at a minimum, 2 people are picking up more of the slack than the others.

klyrs 5y ago
At my work, new parents tend to give 3-6 months notice before that PTO and we hire temporary replacements. What's wrong with your workplace? It's not the parents.
willcipriano 5y ago
Alternatively the firm can take a productivity hit for a couple months.
hnaccount141 5y ago
Let's be clear here, the "system" in question is just exploitative management. If management knows a worker will be taking their leave they can either hire to make up for it or adjust their productivity expectations for a few months. If they don't, that's not the fault of the person taking the leave that they're entitled to as part of their compensation package.
- nybble41 5y ago
  Filling in for the missing teammate is only part of the problem, though even that assumes temporary (possibly skilled or specialty) help is readily available for a short-term assignment, or that productivity can be scaled back without missing deadlines which in some cases are set years in advance and are essential for coordinating schedules with other teams. No, the real issue here is that everyone is paying for this benefit which only helps a subset of the workers. Ordinary PTO—vacations and holidays—is available to everyone to use as they wish. Sick leave is only for those with medical issues, but statistically most employees will end up using it at some point and they all benefit from having that protection since it's (more or less) a random occurrence. But parental leave is not random; it's specifically tied to the employees choices, and some employees are not in a situation where it would ever benefit them. Logically, then, paid parental leave should be an opt-in benefit which employees pay for, not a default part of the general employee compensation package.

klyrs 5y ago

At my work, new parents tend to give 3-6 months notice before that PTO and we hire temporary replacements. What's wrong with your workplace? It's not the parents.

willcipriano 5y ago

Alternatively the firm can take a productivity hit for a couple months.

hnaccount141 5y ago

Let's be clear here, the "system" in question is just exploitative management. If management knows a worker will be taking their leave they can either hire to make up for it or adjust their productivity expectations for a few months. If they don't, that's not the fault of the person taking the leave that they're entitled to as part of their compensation package.

nybble41 5y ago
Filling in for the missing teammate is only part of the problem, though even that assumes temporary (possibly skilled or specialty) help is readily available for a short-term assignment, or that productivity can be scaled back without missing deadlines which in some cases are set years in advance and are essential for coordinating schedules with other teams. No, the real issue here is that everyone is paying for this benefit which only helps a subset of the workers. Ordinary PTO—vacations and holidays—is available to everyone to use as they wish. Sick leave is only for those with medical issues, but statistically most employees will end up using it at some point and they all benefit from having that protection since it's (more or less) a random occurrence. But parental leave is not random; it's specifically tied to the employees choices, and some employees are not in a situation where it would ever benefit them. Logically, then, paid parental leave should be an opt-in benefit which employees pay for, not a default part of the general employee compensation package.