Some local businesses encourage children in the workplace

The Chicago White Sox's Adam LaRoche should have come to work for the FRM in Springfield.

"We try to be as flexible as we can for our employees around what happens in their day-to-day lives," said Janet Stover, executive director of Futures in Rehabilitation Management (FRM), a Springfield-based association management firm. "I think that the flexibility that we afford the employees has contributed to the longevity of our staff."

Stover was referring to FRM's liberal outlook on allowing employees to bring their children to the office when necessary. LaRoche abruptly quit the White Sox and walked away from his $13 million contract after he was told he'd have to limit the time his 14-year-old son spent with the team.

"We know when we hire people and as we get to know our employees that in addition to the role that they play at our company, they have a role that they play in their personal lives," Stover said. "Oftentimes there is an interruption in day care or a kid has a 12 o'clock dentist appointment and the employee doesn't have time to go back and forth. So we allow and encourage them to have their children in the office."

"Our primary goal is to get our work done. Everybody that works for us is very respectful of the workplace." Stover said. "But I believe because they know that they have a safety valve if they ever need it, that's one of the things they consider in terms of their satisfaction with their employment. There's a lot of mutual pitching in if need be when the kids are in the office. In my history here, we have had no complaints."

Emily Miller has been a FRM employee for more than three years. She has a son who will be 4 in May and a 3 1/2-year-old daughter.

"As a working mother, it's an enormous relief to know if the situation would arise where I need to bring my kids to work, I could do so," Miller said. "I can't bring mine in unless I need to. I have a great day care for both of my kids, so most of the time if I bring them in it's because of a doctor's appointment or they don't have school for the day."

"All of the employees love it," Miller added. "Whenever anybody brings their kid in here, we all take a five-minute break and go talk to the kids and give them hugs and see how they are doing and what's going on in their lives."

Six-year FRM employee Josh Catalano has a 5-month-old daughter and brings her to the office "about once a month. It's not all the time. There are others in the office who use it more often because of schooling and day care and stuff like that," Catalano said. "Because my daughter is so young right now, it's basically when it conflicts with my wife's schedule."