The story of Adam LaRoche retiring because the Chicago White Sox asked him to limit the amount of time his son spent with the team in the locker room is intriguing on a number of levels. On the one hand, it is encouraging that a star athlete would want to spend so much time with his son. It is also promising that a father would go to such lengths to stand up for his child, especially when it comes to having your child at the workplace.
Having a “bring your child to work” day is not a guaranteed right. Many employers participate in this as an attempt to foster a sense of culture and inclusion in the office. But so many others lament the presence of children in the workplace, even when a parent has a genuine reason for having them there.
Tragically, a large majority of workers in California do not have the luxury of walking away from $13 million per year simply because they believe they are being disrespected by management telling them when a child could be in their workplace. As we noted in a prior post, a number of single parents may have to bring their child to work occasionally because child care had fallen through or changes had been made that prevent a parent from leaving the child alone.
Even more troubling, an inordinate number of parents are one sick child away from losing their jobs. So while we applaud Adam LaRoche for his decision, we are careful to remember the scores of parents who do not have the same luxury.