No Spouse, No Kids? That's Your Problem!

•  
  mcarrillo@...02/13/07 Report as spam
  1

  oh no

  What a terrifically bad response. Assuming (you know what happens when you assume) that a single person has nothing better to do than watch tv at home is horrendous. Sometimes single employees, like yours truly, have volunteer commitments, are contributing to their communities in vibrant ways, and deserve to have a LIFE outside of work. Also assuming this is possibly the youngest person on staff is a big no-no. Ultimately, yes, it does depend on the workplace, and a lot of Singletons should know the expectations of the environment they are a part of.

•  
  cbergerson@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  2

  Its All Our Problem

  The assumption made that the person doing the complaining is young and needs to put in her dues is a big leap in today's world. The only way I can justify the idea that there are perceived inequities in the workplace between single and parents with children is that I have chosen to be single and yet I am part of the global village, responsible for the next generation of children whether they are mine or not. I support parents, whether they are single or not, because its the right thing to do, not something that is forced upon me inequitably. I do, however, think it is important for there to be equity in the workplace... in terms of comp time for travel time and extra hours. I also would hope that the work place has other options, such as flex hours and working at home that is available to everyone. Some companies even provide onsite childcare, which is a win-win situation.

•  
  linda.muller@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  3

  Are you serious?

  I can hardly believe this answer. I thought for sure it would be an exponentially more enlightened response than this one. If you're comparing personal lives in order to determine work responsibilities, that inequity has nothing to do with responsible decision making. How can you possibly assume that a single person has no one to care for, nothing to do outside of work and no other demands on their time? Are there no single people caring for ailing parents, children of friends and relatives, or volunteering time at local charities, committing their non-work hours to projects that expand their skills in other ways? Do you really think that single people only watch TV. Perhaps the "conscience" writer only watches TV as part of their free time outside of work. Let's say a supervisor or manager has to assign work or travel and he/she has three employees to choose from, they are all the same age, one is married with no children, one is married with children, one is single. If a manager considers each person's personal life as the main factor in assigning the task at hand and chooses the single person, how is that discerning? An intelligent and fair manager will choose the person whose WORK SKILLS are best suited to the job and not take the personal life into account whatsoever. Since when does having personal conflicts make you BETTER at your job? And since when do the personal conflicts of the "attached" carry more weight than those of the "unattached"? Probably always, but it needs to stop. And those who refer to themselves as a CONSCIENCE need to be thinking more about that when they answer questions like this.

•  
  damian.mcloughlin@...03/13/07 Report as spam
  4

  I don't think so!

  The assumptions in this article are so white collar, mainstream, stereo typical, it is sad. It is discrimination, pure and simple. Having said that, I (and I think most single workers) don't mind this attitude occasionally. The key is occasionally. I'll make the sacrifice of extra hours and travel but I expect that sacrifice to be remembered.
  -- Factual aside -- The military increases the amount of compensation paid to married individuals and increases this compensation for each additional child. Was my single life worth any less than theirs?

•  
  klescinsky04/05/07 Report as spam
  5

  are you serious?

  I cannot believe this article. Those of us with no kids can often be quite senior, please don't assume that we're the most junior and youngest in the crew. Some of us made a concious decision not to have kids.
  
  While I don't mind picking up the slack in a real emergency, just because I don't have kids, my life obligations are no less important. It's nobody's business when I work hard, accomplish more than my share, and do what I like in my free time. We work to live, no live to work. I think that's a distinction that gets lost.