Take Your Lice-Ridden Kid to Work Day

On the long plane ride preceding the long cab ride last weekend, I broke down and bought the Sunday Times for the first time in years. I've been shunning it since I decided I had had enough of their Volvo-driving, quiche-loving elitism. And that,  coupled with the Judy Miller fiasco, and the fact that a particularly
dickish client of my husband's happened to work there managed to coalesce into a general ban.

But at the airport, I caved. And so, dear anti-BREEDER folk, I have this gift for you.

I can hardly believe that anybody would actually bring their louse-y kids to work, but apparently so (unless one of you made this up)!

Anyway, cue the diatribe.

From last weekend's Social Q's:

A senior co-worker brings his sick children to work, rather than leave them at home with a sitter or his wife, or taking the day off. Recently, he brought them in with plastic caps on their heads. You guessed it: head lice! I don't want to be infected, but I also don't want to alienate my colleague, who will probably be my supervisor someday. We don't have a human resources department, and the principals of our firm don't seem to care. What should I do?

Anonymous

And the response:

It wasn't "Bring Your Vermin to Work" day, was it?

We've all seen enough harried mommy and daddy movies to know that working parents have it rough. But you have a legitimate beef on your hands--and possibly taking root in your follicles.

Still, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. So don't expect your colleague, or the principals of your firm, to love you for complaining about a problem they seem to want to ignore.

Here's what you do: Express your gripe as a solution. It feels more positive. Say: "Do you think we could let George telecommute when his kids are sick, so he could stay home and take care of them?" Or: "Any chance of an employee benefit that would pay for sitters when our kids are sick?"

That way, you seem to be taking sides with your supervisor-to-be, even as
you shine a light on his gross behavior. And it goes without saying: Purell
on the hour.

[ed note: Uhm, I know we've got the whole recesh thing goin on-n-all, but this is straight up WHACK. Dear Anon: if your future supervisor is making decisions like "my kids have lice...oh wait! Let's bring em into work!" than you are working at the wrong fucking company. Srsly].