Do you think employing young women/girls is a liabilty?

[RATTER15]

We tend to employ mostly young women at the home where I work, this is great, I enjoy working with them. The problem we experience is as follows:

Once a month they are too ill to work and need a day off at least or they arrive in a foul mood and cant do anything.

A few weeks after starting work they announce they are pregnant, they are then so worried about their baby (and rightly so) the rest of the staff have to carry them, this is not always easy when we are short staffed.

So they have their baby and they will now be off work for up to 12 months and often will never return.

They have children at home so they phone in sick half an hour before their shift starts, little johnny is sick so I cant come to work today.

My baby sitter is sick today I cant come to work.

It does get a bit tiresome when nearly every other day we are struggling to cover for a female due to one or more of the above excuses, we also employ men, we never have these problems with them, they work rain or shine.

Would you have a preference over employing Men or Women from an employers point of view?

[karenmac60]

And Daisy, having been a single mum if I didn't work, we didn't eat. It was nothing to do with maintaining a 'lifestyle'.

[roxie_09]

carakeel, it's also not only the youngsters, I've worked on a few wards where the older people refuse to work weekends, especially nights, as they like to go out on the saturday, and will have the sunday off to recover x

[Philtaz]

Crikey RATTER15, if I diddn't know different I'd have bet next months wages that you work in the same department as me!

We currently have 14 staff on mat leave, which has a big impact in a department that employs around 80. The repurcussions will be felt for the next 4-5 years, as upon return to work most of the new mothers will undoubtedly ask for reduced hours, be unable to work certain afternoon shifts nor be able to cover nights.

IMHO the reality is that HR departments in this cost-cutting era will soon seriously look at reducing the amount of females of child-bearing age that will be offered employment and look at less costly alternatives.

[daisya]

Karen I was talking about married women working, I know there are different circumstances so I didn't tar everyone with the same brush. Always exceptions you know of which I'm very aware.

[roxie_09]

But then not all husbands have fantastic well paying jobs, so the woman needs to work aswell to keep their heads above water x

[tinkerbell23]

I think young people in general are deemed as unreliable!

I must say in office i felt less bad calling in sick than i would now in nursing!

Point taken about women...defo see your point, but when in the office we hd alot of sick males after a weekend on the drink or a cheeky wee trip abroad to follow footie haha...x

[mojay]

I was a woman boss - own company from 1970-ish till recently and would not consider employing young women of child bearing age - too much aggro - and cost of maternity leave etc

[tinkerbell23]

I would hate to not work when having kids, you need adult time and in this day and age two wages are needed!....unless of course i marry a rich man and in that case.......hehe x

[RATTER15]

Please remember the last question in the post:

<<<Would you have a preference over employing Men or Women from an employers point of view?>>>

Well im off to bed, goodnight all :-)

[daisya]

Yes today you do need two wages, but years ago had it started out that women didn't go to work to help pay the mortgage, in my opinion the hike in house prices would have been kept to a level where only one wage was needed. It would have been either that or they didn't sell. Everyone needs adult time Tinks but if you commit yourself to bringing children into this world then they should come first IMO and when they are grown you can then think of yourself. Well that's the way I look at it but I guess the young people here won't even consider it a way to be.

[4getmenot]

then surely a man should also make time for the children. Times have changed.

[roxie_09]

Agree 4getmenot, but I think there is still an underpinning belief that it is all the duty of the female x

[tattyteddy]

to be honest i would employ men and women but try and employ more men because of those issues. it sounds stupid from what i have read and have you mentioned this to your boss and told him because he might not be seeing it from your point of view.?

[ChocolatChip]

I agree with Tinkerbell, the most unreliable employees where I work are young (18-30) males who have gone out got drunk, pretty much every night and are too hungover to work. I have only once called in sick for 1 day over 'time of the month problems' and I have terrible pain. :(
Don't tar us young'uns with the same bursh, as I work exceptionally hard and I find it's the older ones who believe they run the place (whereas they're in the same position as I am) who are lazy and think it's time for a gossip or a rest!

[ChocolatChip]

brush even!