Children are a joy, but there’s pros and cons of letting workers bring their kids to the workplace. Among the pros:
- It enables employees to come into work when child care becomes unexpectedly unavailable, when childcare ends before the workday does, or when there are emergency school closures.
- Patients often enjoy interactions with children.
- It can increase employee loyalty and be considered a valuable benefit that attracts new workers.
- It can help keep parents working after they expand their families.
- It can reduce stress for parents and others.
- It can help save money on child care.
Among the cons:
- Children can be distracting, and their parents may not be as productive when they are at work.
- If the child comes to work sick, he or she can be a health threat to others.
- There may be safety and liability issues.
- Some workers may be distracted or frustrated by the presence of children.