Employee blames consistent lateness on childcare, gets upset when they get fired for their timekeeping: 'They rolled in at 10:15 AM because of a morning emergency'

There comes a point when kids can no longer be used as an excuse for poor work performance.

No doubt about it, being an involved parent and a decent employee at the same time can often feel like an impossible balancing act. The standard workday was not designed with parenting in mind, and that is doubly the case for many high-pressure jobs. In some industries, there is only so much flexibility that can be expected while still being competent enough to deal with a workload.

It isn't fair, and keeping on top of childcare while working should not have to be the battle that it frequently turns out to be. Nonetheless, parents with jobs have to find a way to make it happen. They are the ones who chose to add the responsibility of children on top of all their other tasks.

For a manager, somebody who has issues at work because of their kids can be very difficult to deal with. They may have empathy for the fact that they are struggling, but at the end of the day, their main responsibility is ensuring that their employees do their job properly. If family is interfering with that, they may have to take harsh measures.

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  • A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop raises her hand in the air while talking on her cell phone, a child drawing on the coffee table behind her
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop raises her hand in the air while talking on her cell phone, a child drawing on the coffee table behind her

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • In this story, the boss of an engineering company faced an ongoing problem with one of his junior employees constantly being late. Workers were expected to be in the office by 8 AM, but this employee didn't get there until 45 to 90 minutes after that several times a week.

    Their excuse for this was their struggles with childcare, and the boss tried to be accommodating by telling them that they could start at 9 instead. However, their lateness continued. After an incident where they were late enough to jeopardize a deadline for a big project, he decided he had to let them go. They were angry, and he was feeling some guilt about how he handled the situation. 

  • Am I wrong for firing an employee who keeps coming in late because of childcare issues?

    I run a small engineering consultancy specializing in BIM coordination and MEP design. It is a high-pressure environment, especially when we have major project milestones or clash detection reports due for large-scale construction sites. I have a tight team, and every person's role is critical to hitting our submission deadlines.
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • One of my junior BIM modelers has been with me for about a year. They are technically proficient, but over the last four months, their punctuality has completely tanked. They are supposed to be at their workstation by 8:00 AM to sync models and address the overnight markups from the site teams,
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • but they have been showing up anywhere from 8:45 to 9:30 AM at least. three times a week. The reason is always the same: toddler's daycare issues or a sitter flaking out.
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • I tried to be flexible. I let it slide for the first month, then we had a formal sit- down where I explained that when the models aren't updated first thing in the morning, the whole coordination meeting gets pushed back, and the
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • A man sits at a table and works on a tablet in an office with large glass windows
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A man sits at a table and works on a tablet in an office with large glass windows

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • senior engineers have to stop their own work to cover the basics. I felt for the situation, so I agreed to a 9:00 AM start time, provided they stayed later to finish the daily quota.
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • The problem is, the late arrivals started happening for the 9:00 AM slot too. Last Friday was the final straw. We had a massive Revit model submission for a hospital project, and they rolled in at 10:15 AM because of a "morning
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • emergency." By the time they got there, my lead coordinator was overwhelmed and the client was blowing up my phone because the NWC exports were late. We almost missed a critical project gate that would have triggered late fees for my firm.
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • I let them finish the day, but I sat them down at the end of the shift and told them I had to let them go. There was a breakdown in my office-I was called heartless and told I am "punishing a parent for struggling." My partner thinks I should have given one more
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • chance since it's so hard for parents right now, but my other employees are relieved because they were tired of carrying the extra workload and staying late to fix the delays.
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • I feel like a monster for taking away someone's livelihood, but my firm was literally at risk of losing major contracts. AITA for choosing my business's survival over an employee's personal situation?
    via Gl1tchCanticle
  • A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop talks on a cell phone with a child drawing on the coffee table behind her
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop talks on a cell phone with a child drawing on the coffee table behind her

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Jen0507 ΝΤΑ. You did a lot more than others. You even tried to change their start time to accomodate them. The fact you did that and they came in even later leads me to believe childcare wasn't the issue.
    via Jen0507
  • The employee was just a bad employee. You gave every chance you could.
    via Jen0507
  • Consistent-Ad3191 They were able to manage to be late even when you gave them a different time to be and they still were late. they need to figure it out every other parent does
    via Consistent-Ad3191
  • HuntAccurate9397 NTA, I can't see what you could have done differently
    via HuntAccurate9397
  • Not-That_Girl They had enough warnings. Its a tough decision but you did the right thing. Why tank your whole business and everyone's livelihood, you, your staff, your customers, because they just keep pushing boundaries.
    via Not-That_Girl
  • NTA. Yes you feel bad, because you are human, you tried to help but rolling in at 10.15 is taking the P.
    via Not-That_Girl
  • GreenPOR The problem is you tolerated this situation way too long: it allowed one employee's irresponsibility to basically steal time, money, assets from you, other employees & clients. That may sound harsh & unsympathetic but Childcare is difficult & expensive for everyone. Other people manage to find reliable child care.
    via GreenPOR
  • I imagine this will be a learning experience that this kind of situation is one that has to be corrected immediately.
    via GreenPOR
  • G-reeper66 NTA They had more than enough chances to show up and improve. When accomodations are turned against you, that's when action needs taking.
    via G-reeper66

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