Theodore’s post earlier reminded me that yesterday was Take Your Children to Work Day. And why did I need reminding? Because I did not see a single kid in the office. H.R. didn’t discourage us–in fact, I think there was a program for tots set up–but, at least on the editorial side of our business, nobody seems to have participated.
I hate to be a churl about this, but I don’t love the idea. Unless you work for Willy Wonka or James Cameron, most work is boring for kids to watch. And on the parent’s side, concentration is not benefited by a small person’s interruptions. I can’t get a damn thing done, writing-wise, when I’m at home with my son and my wife is not around, and on those occasions when he comes to the office for a quick visit, I have to treat it as a lunch hour. Even the uncomplicated parts of my job require that I pay attention, particularly on short deadlines, and having a toddler around pretty much scotches that.
So why do we do it? Well, the idea was built on female empowerment–remember, it started out as Take Your Daughters to Work Day, until the pro-boys contingent piped up. So now it’s morphed into a way for corporations to show that “we’re all a big family here”–which you hear all the time, and is a completely toxic idea. Remember this, people: As much as your CEO likes the idea, your job is not your family. Your family can’t fire you with two weeks’ notice; your family won’t side with, say, the aggressor in a sexual-harassment lawsuit if said aggressor is valuable than you. Your job is a cash exchange, even if it’s all-consuming or satisfying or fun, and corporations that pretend to forget that have a way of remembering it when the chips are down.
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