A UK mother has won a parenting case against her employer
In a recent case in the UK, Alice Thompson took her employers to court after they refused for her to leave work earlier (5 pm vs 6 pm). They also denied her request to work four days as opposed to the five days per week.
Alice, at the time, was a top-performing employee, that had recently returned from maternity leave and had been looking for a way to manage her work and home life.
However, her employers refused her request, which resulted in Alice taking them to the UK tribunal. The case resulted in the employer paying Alice 180,000 Pounds (over R3-million).
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The incident has sparked an online debate around whether mothers should be given special treatment in the workplace.
According to some, women should be given leeway to fit their family needs into their day-to-day activities.
Some have, however, disagreed by establishing that children are not solely the responsibility of the mom. If the one is given special treatment, the same should then be applied to the father.
It is an exciting debate, especially when placed in the South Africa context, as we know many homes are fatherless, and the mother or grandmother is the sole provider.
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We commend Alice for taking the matter further, but at which point will companies now be able to draw the line to ensure business productivity?
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