http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11884990
I don’t have an issue with someone advertising that a job wouldn’t suit someone taking time out for parenting. It is upfront and honest and doesn’t waste applicants time if they simply aren’t suited.
People are calling it discrimination – it isn’t. It may be illegal to hire based on someone’s family status but this isn’t the case. I know many people who don’t have to ‘take time off for parenting’. Look at Asian/Indian culture. So many of them have their mum and dad looking after the kids and doing the school run, in their situation they don’t need time off, there is so much support. Many people hire au pairs so even if they have sick kids they don’t need to stop working – as opposed to daycare where you would need to take time off. Many parents only have one parent working or have a parent that does evening/weekend work so are at home during the day so the other parent can work during the day. Even if parents do both work during the day, the parent who is a vet might have a partner who earns much less or is a more flexible job and can take the time off especially if they earn enough to use school holiday programs so it is just leave for sickness – the list goes on. Everyone has different family situations. This job would suit some but not others – you know, like every single other job.
I used to work as a PA and I knew after I had my first child I couldn’t be the top guys PA anymore because at that level when things come up you’re expected to stay and fix them. You are also expected to attend work events. My husband had a job working away often. Daycare shut at 5:30. There was barely enough time between opening and closing to get my 8 hours in and that is with my child being first there and last to leave. Without family support doing my job to the standard I held myself to would have been impossible. So I chose to do a lower level position. Whilst they probably couldn’t have fired me for saying no when something came up at 5 or for not attending evening functions I wouldn’t have been doing my job to the standard it should have been done so I stepped aside for someone who had no kids so was free to work the hours demanded. Why are people so selfish these days? Why do they cling on to a job that no longer suits their lifestyle, at the expense of others careers and the wellbeing of the company they work for? Work should benefit you and the employer. It should be a mutual agreement that works for both parties. In this vet case, if it’s a small clinic then they can’t give everyone the school holidays off – that’s just the reality of business. Pets get sick school holidays too. How would you feel if you pet got sick during the school holidays and no vets would see you as they’d cut back or shut down for school holidays? Some jobs keep going and there needs to be people to do them. Life is a cycle. Kids grow up. Eventually you can be the person who works school holidays but if you are the person who has to care for the kids in the holidays or when the kids get sick then maybe this isn’t the job for you RIGHT NOW, things will change. This could be your perfect future job and it will come up again but right now if it’s not for you, don’t be offended. It is ridiculous to be offended. It isn’t you but you can’t fulfill what the job demands.
Personally, I like businesses who are honest about this sort of thing. My time is precious. I don’t want to waste my time if the job is just not right for me. So honest job ads work for me. Keep it up!
Revisionist Media 