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My reaction, as I read it, was why would anyone want to bring their child to work? Granted, I’ve never worked for a company that allowed this, but I don’t see the appeal. As things stand I struggle constantly to give 100% of my attention to my daughter when I am with her and to my work when I am working — I think this would be nearly impossible to do if my daughter were, in fact, right there where I work. I’m also fairly certain that having a baby running around an office is at least somewhat distracting to other people who work there, even if they absolutely positively adore babies and have lots of their own.
What I would have loved to have when my daughter was a baby is a daycare that was in my office building. It would have been great to stop by and see her during lunch or to be able to breastfeed her there comfortably rather than attach myself to a vicious, loud, angry machine (aka the breast pump) three times a day while my assistant stood guard outside my no-lock office door. But to actually have my baby in the office? I don’t see the appeal.
I’ve been lucky to have a reasonable (1/2 hour) commute since my daughter was born and to even be able to work from home part of the time during the past several years. Perhaps if this were not the case I would see more benefit in having my child in the office where I worked. But for now, you guys will have to show me what I am missing: Would you bring your baby to work if you could? How would you deal with the distraction, for you and your colleagues? Are there other upsides or downsides I am missing?
Nataly Kogan is the co-founder and CEO of Workitmom.com, an online community and helpful resource for working moms.
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