Children in the Workplace

Operational Standard/Purpose

ICC provides many opportunities for children to be on campus, either through campus events or scheduled programming. Because, work areas within the College may present a variety of potential dangers to children, employees with children are expected to arrange childcare away from the work site. Employees’ children will not be permitted in the work areas unless it is for College for Kids activities or planned holiday events. Further, children should not be allowed in classrooms and laboratories.

Scope/Applicability

For the purpose of this policy, children are defined as children under the age of sixteen (16). Refer to the Employee Handbook for additional information.

Procedures

ICC permits two exceptions to the exclusion of children in the workplace-specific campus events and specific individual instances.

1. Specific Campus Events: The College hosts specific events, activities, etc. such as College for Kids, when employees are welcome to bring children to campus, in accordance with well-established guidelines.
2. Individual Instances: Exceptions for specific, individual employee instances are rare. If an employee needs to bring a child to the workplace on a rare particular occasion, he/she must obtain approval in advance from the immediate manager or supervisor as soon as the need is known. Approval may be granted for each single instance if all of the following conditions are met:
   1. The employee’s need to bring the child to campus is urgent, compelling, not recurring, and of short duration.
   2. The only alternative to bringing a child to campus is the employee’s absence from work.
   3. The College derives a clearly identifiable benefit from the employee being at work at the particular time (e.g., meeting a deadline).
   4. Arrangements for the safety and supervision of the child are satisfactory to the manager or supervisor.
   5. The manager or supervisor believes that distractions for the parent or custodian and distractions for other employees are minimal.
   6. If approval is granted for an exception, but the manager or supervisor determines that one or more of conditions listed above ceases to be the case, the employee will be directed to leave the workplace. Upon return to work, the employee must report the absence. Approval of the absence will be automatically granted for the period of time for which the employee originally had approval to bring the child to the workplace. Approval for an additional period of absence, if any, will be considered in accordance with the customary guidelines and procedures. The immediate manager or supervisor will determine the appropriate accrual or leave to be used for the time off (e.g., vacation time, sick leave (if applicable), leave without pay, FMLA, etc.).