Brian Binley, the Conservative member for Northampton South, has controversially claimed that employees would skive off work under the pretence of looking after their sick children if the Labour government extends the right to take time off to parents of children under 16.
Any working parent will tell you that any unexpected time they take off for their children they spend worrying about how they are perceived at work. On their return, they invariably redouble their efforts to make up for the time they had to spend away.
Most UK employers would not be adversely affected if the Government extended this right. After all, there is no incentive to abuse the right to time off as it is generally unpaid. Advances in technology, especially the dreaded BlackBerry, mean that staff can work flexibly from home anyway.
Surely the sort of people who would abuse the right to take time off for dependants are the ones who escape the net of organisations' failing absence management systems? As with any absence, as long as line managers police it well, it shouldn't become a burden.
