I’ve previously written about how my secretary took 8 weeks off for maternity leave. Well, she’s back now, and brought a new staff member with her.
I know several doctors who are horrified that I let her bring the baby to work every day. They tell me it’s unprofessional, a distraction, inconvenient, etc.
Me? I think it’s great.
I have no problem with her being here. If anything, she adds an upbeat vibe to the office. Seeing an adorable newborn up front cheers all comers. She’s quickly become the most popular person here. Nowadays, when I call someone back from the lobby, they jokingly protest and say, but “I’m looking at the baby!” At this point, we’ve even had people coming by just to see her, once word spread there was a baby at my office.
Is it unprofessional? Maybe by someone else’s standards, but not mine. At this stage of life, she’s certainly not in the way. She’s (generally) quiet, sweet, and smiley. Besides, having her here spares my secretary the expense of child care and makes her happy. If keeping your staff happy isn’t part of being professional, I don’t know what is.
Is she a distraction? Perhaps, but not in a bad way. Maybe I take a few seconds here and there to wave at her or help my secretary with something, but nothing that compromises patient care.
Is it inconvenient to have her here? Nope. We have an extra exam room, so it’s easy for my secretary to have a quiet, private place to feed and change her every few hours. If the phones go to voice mail for a few minutes, or I have to keep an ear out for the front door opening, I don’t mind.
She and I both have young families. When we were looking for a new office 3 years ago, one of our requirements was what we called “the sick kid room.” An extra space where, if a kid couldn’t go to school, we wouldn’t be stuck trying to figure out what to do. They’ve always been welcome here, and always will be.
Having kids on site isn’t perfect for every practice. Certainly, a pediatrics office (with a lot more sick kids going in and out) wouldn’t be ideal. But at my place the young lady has brightened things up for all and makes the day more fun.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.
