I have an ethical dilemma

[MJ2.0]

Since DS has half days all week, X and I have been trying to sort out who will watch him and when. I asked work if I could leave early Wednesday, pick DS up, and work from home for the rest of the day. I also asked if I could work from home all day Friday. They approved both.

Today X found out that if your child is enrolled in aftercare, they will still be watched by that program until 6pm. DS is in aftercare Wed-Fri. Given that, he will not need me to pick him up until 6 on those days. Should I tell work that I can come in regular time Wednesday and Friday (I don't work Thursdays).... or should I work in my PJ'S those days?

[Miss Tequila]

I would pick him up and work from home in my pjs. 

[engineerdoe]

For myself, I know I work better at the office.  All my resources are here and my computer programs and project files.  I can remotely work off my office computer but it is so slow and annoying that I prefer to just come in to the office.
Does working from home bring up any of these issues for you?  If not maybe go ahead and stay in your PJ's.

[flamingo]

I wouldn't think twice about it - work from home in PJs.  

[MJ2.0]

Oct 25, 2016 15:52:53 GMT -5 engineerdoe said:

For myself, I know I work better at the office.  All my resources are here and my computer programs and project files.  I can remotely work off my office computer but it is so slow and annoying that I prefer to just come in to the office.
Does working from home bring up any of these issues for you?  If not maybe go ahead and stay in your PJ's.

Working from home has never been an issue, other than the fact that I don't have a printer. But I just do things I don't need a printer for (which is a lot).

[debthaven]

I would prob choose the day I minded least and say in the end I can stay later Wed / come in Fri if they need me to. Hopefully they'll say no but it seems like they're being good to you, so maybe keep their goodwill for when you really need it?

[rob base]

PJs??!? Sounds like overkill......just be nekkid!!!

[Lizard Queen]

You probably have to pay for the extra time, No? I'd pick him up anyway, if you can manage to work with him there. IMO, it's a long afternoon in aftercare for little kids.

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2016 19:43:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

You probably have to pay for the extra time, No? I'd pick him up anyway, if you can manage to work with him there. IMO, it's a long afternoon in aftercare for little kids.

Our after school care program doesn't charge extra on early release days.  It's a pretty sweet deal.

[Lizard Queen]

Oct 25, 2016 20:33:58 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Oct 25, 2016 19:43:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

You probably have to pay for the extra time, No? I'd pick him up anyway, if you can manage to work with him there. IMO, it's a long afternoon in aftercare for little kids.

Our after school care program doesn't charge extra on early release days.  It's a pretty sweet deal.

You're lucky. Ours is $4-Something per hour. It adds up quickly.

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2016 20:38:22 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Oct 25, 2016 20:33:58 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Our after school care program doesn't charge extra on early release days.  It's a pretty sweet deal.

You're lucky. Ours is $4-Something per hour. It adds up quickly.

Ours is monthly not hourly.  $160/month and it includes swimming lessons.  It used to have free no-school and snow day care before this year which was really nice, but now you have to pay $13/day for those days (or something like that...only had one so far)

[Sharon]

I would go in and save the work at home time for when I really needed it.  There will a bunch more days this year when school is closed or half days.  If I remember correctly your guy is younger so he is still in the stage of they were fine when you dropped them off and an hour later you get a call about spiking a fever/vomiting/diarrhea or who knows what.

[taz157]

Oct 25, 2016 20:33:58 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Oct 25, 2016 19:43:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

You probably have to pay for the extra time, No? I'd pick him up anyway, if you can manage to work with him there. IMO, it's a long afternoon in aftercare for little kids.

Our after school care program doesn't charge extra on early release days.  It's a pretty sweet deal.

Also ours is sometimes open on days when school is closed (not all) and it doesn't cost anything extra.

[Lizard Queen]

You guys are making me seriously jealous here...

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2016 21:05:47 GMT -5 Sharon said:

I would go in and save the work at home time for when I really needed it.  There will a bunch more days this year when school is closed or half days.  If I remember correctly your guy is younger so he is still in the stage of they were fine when you dropped them off and an hour later you get a call about spiking a fever/vomiting/diarrhea or who knows what.

Yeah, if they're doing you a favor, I think I'd save the special treatment for sick days when childcare isn't an option.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I agree with those who said to go to work and "bank" your employer's goodwill for those days when you really need to work from home.  

[MJ2.0]

I will split the difference and say I got coverage Wednesday but not Friday. So I'll go in all day today and work from home Friday. I'll actually be able to work more hours from home Friday since I can't drop DS off til close to 9 am and it's nearly an hour commute to work from there. I see working from home sometimes as a quasi-favor - I mean, you're still working....

[MJ2.0]

Hmmm, as I posted that I realized that it IS a long day in aftercare... especially as a super energetic child who can't play outside due to a healing bone. He will already have to be in aftercare a while on Thursday because I have classes til 4:50. I just know how he gets in unstructured environments, especially if he's not getting 1:1 attention. I'll mull it over some more on the way to work.

[MJ2.0]

Okay, my final decision is to leave work an hour early today (so he's not in aftercare as long) and work from home Friday. I feel like that's a reasonable compromise.

[thyme4change]

PJ s

[hoops902]

I think this kind of depends on how your work operates.  If you think that someone granted you some big favor to do this because of some sob story you laid on them, then yeah, ethically you should probably come clean (I have no idea how you asked for it, so I'm just laying out the possibility you really played on someone's emotions to get a favor they otherwise wouldn't have approved). At my job, I don't even say why, I just say "hey this day, I'm working from home".  If I need to leave early I might ask "Hey, ok if I leave early today and make up the time tomorrow?".  I don't say why, I just ask for what I want.  In my case, I wouldn't have any issues since I just asked for something, got it, and none of the facts about asking for it changed. 

If I really thought someone was going on a limb to do me a favor to let me leave early and work from home, I'd probably feel ethically obligated to work in the office now that my excuse is no longer really true (doesn't sound like anyone really risked anything to do you this favor though).