I generally don't like to have any meetings on Fridays as that allows me one day of the week to get actual work done. Today I had 2. Fortunately both occurred this morning so I could get them taken care of and not have to worry about them later in the day.
During my first meeting I had one of my granddaughters walk into my office just as the meeting started. She is definitely cute and so I didn't mind introducing her to my fellow coworkers. She sat on my lap for a bit and then once she got a little fidgety, I sent her back to her parents and continued the meeting alone. Then at the end of my meeting my coworker thanked me for introducing my granddaughter.
This experience got me thinking about how appropriate it is to include small children in work calls. While you would never bring a kid to work except on that one day a year where it is allowed and expected, everyone is fairly lenient with work-from-home policies. It is not unexpected to see a dog or family member in the background on occasion. I am very forgiving when my coworkers include a fussy child in the meeting.
There are certain meetings where you would not want to include children, such as performance reviews or important meetings with upper management. In those cases, I highly recommend doing all you can to make sure there are no interruptions even if it means sending family to a restaurant or movie.
Ultimately we should do all that we can to keep small children from distracting work meetings. Sometimes it can't be avoided though as this morning I didn't even know my granddaughter had followed me into my office. When that happens, roll with it as inconspicuously as possible. Who knows, the child may have a positive experience and follow in your career footsteps.
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