A very interesting trend is seeing a pretty big rise these days which could mean a good thing for some parents and an annoyance for some co-workers. According to a USAToday report, the number of companies allowing employees to bring their children to work climbed 29% last year.  Parenting in the Workplace Institute estimates that more than 80 companies across the nation have baby friendly environments. In most cases the parents are allowed to bring their children to work up until the baby is able to crawl which is said to be somewhere around 9 months or so. 

As I was listening to the radio yesterday I was very intrigued by this conversation and what the callers had to say. The responses to this story from both parents and co-workers who have experienced this seemed to be a mixed bag of emotions.

There we're parents that absolutely loved the fact that they could spend time with their child and felt although it could be challenging at times they didn't let their work suffer. Some co-workers even agree that having a baby in the office can be a great thing and in some cases even boost the moral of the work environment.

On the flip side of that is another perspective from parents that it was a very difficult situation for them because with some jobs it can be hard to juggle your task and tend to your child all at the same time. Then of course you have the co-workers who just absolutely hated the fact that they had to hear the crying and the noise which provided more of a distraction than anything else.



I think about how I would feel if someone brought their child to work everyday and if they didn't have an office that they could close up when needed, how that would effect my work. Personally I would find it very annoying. Although I love babies, I don't want to work in an environment where I have to be subjected to one all day long at work. If I wanted that, I would work at a Daycare, which I have in the past.

Will employees feel comfortable complaining if it is their manager who brings their child to work? Or is the workplace the best environment to stimulate growth for the baby? Are a few of many questions that come into the picture. 

Can a parent truly give their child the attention they need and deserve and do the same for their work? I'm not sure that is something that can easily be accomplished with most jobs. One or the other is going to garner most of your attention while the other will lack. If you're at work then that should be your priority. Having your child at work, for anyone, would be a distraction.

I get the feeling that if a company has proper accommodations for a baby in the work place, then it doesn't have to be such a bad thing for everyone else. Some companies give their employees their own office. However in this day and age you tend to find more offices that have less space and a lot of people tend to work in cubicles. Say 3 people have their babies around the same time and decide to bring them to work. All I can say is, "I'm complaining".

The bottom line is, for some companies this can be a great perk for employees and it would make sense because they provide the proper accommodations. For other places its just not feasible and is going to cause more problems than anyone can benefit from it.

It doesn't make anyone a bad parent just because they enjoy their time away from their child where they can interact as an adult with other adults. For many it's because of this time away that they cherish the time they spend with their little one even more. We can all use a break sometimes and sometimes work is that break away from the routine of home life. 



Aaron Fields writes for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are his.