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Okay, I wasn't going to wade in where we are so clearly debating oversimplifications, but this sends me over the edge:
>>Simple fact of the matter is that if you work for a company and you really
>>care, getting the job done is core. No excuses. Your family often must come
>>in second. You might ask your family if they want to go on vacation, have
>>food to eat and a place to live. All of that is made possible because you
>>work.
I have a child with learning disabilities. One symptom of this is that she needs a certain amount of parental face time. I don't pretend in interviews that I am impediment-free; in fact, even though asking about this is illegal in interviews, I always bring up the subject, and explain to my prospective employer that my husband and I can usually work this out. We have made significant compromises in our life style, etc. to do this.
When I started my present job, it was clear that I was just commuting too far (120 round trip) each day, so I put myself up in a motel every other day while we house-hunted. It took about 6 weeks to find a place, and then we had to wait until closing til we could sleep there.
In the meantime, there were significant personnel changes. One colleague was let go, for cause. Then the other technical writer went on maternity leave.
Then we had a release. I stayed in the motel every night (did I mention the ice storms, as this was February?), and worked late, and took files to my motel room, where I worked on them on my lap top. The reality was that I was new, the only tech writer, and there was an awful lot to be done.
The release was Friday. By Thursday, my kid was levitating. My husband called and said, how about the two of us drive over and have dinner with you, so kid can see that you are still really out there and really love her?
I told my boss, and her answer was, well, you can't leave (6:30, I got in at 8:00). My answer, I'll come back after dinner, but my kid needs me. Period.
My boss said no, we'd work something out. And she roped someone in from another group to help out the next morning, and we got everything done.
Ideal, from either point of view?
No, but Acceptable.
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