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New return to work guidelines from @floridastate apparently specify: "Effective, August 7, 2020, the University will return to normal policy and will no longer allow employees to care for children while working remotely." #WomeninSTEM #AcademicParents https://news.fsu.edu/news/2020/06/26/additional-campus-repopulation-guidance/
Concerning, as to who returns, guidelines suggest supervisors: "Review productivity levels of faculty and staff who have been working remotely. If there have been barriers to productivity, they should be directed to return back to campus. " https://coronavirus.hr.fsu.edu/sites/g/files/upcbnu2786/files/Faculty%20and%20Staff%20Campus%20Repopulation%20Guidance.pdf
This is a double bind. Not having childcare while working remotely is a barrier to productivity, which could in turn require you to return to work - even without childcare. But if you are not required to return to work, you are also not allowed to care for your children.
This will affect parents and others in care taking roles, and research suggests it will disproportionately impact the careers of women. https://www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2020/helping-working-parents-ease-the-burden-of-covid-19.aspx
As an academic leader, I encourage all members of my department to prioritize the well-being of themselves and their family ahead of everything else in the best of times - I demand they do so in the worst of times. Good mental health is essential to doing our jobs well
During these unprecedented times, we need unprecedented leadership. Tenure clock extensions don't solve all our problems, and don't address the needs of all members of academic communities. We need flexibility that allows workspaces to adapt to the challenges our workforce faces
