> Many folks have family that will help with the kids in the early days, so it was helpful to always have a extra pair of hands at home for the mom during the first half year or so.
This is a strange comment, considering the person asking the question IS the mom.
Secondly, I feel like your entire argument around the extra work the team will face (and the idea that the team being fine with them gone means they provide no value) has an unstated premise; that the amount of work the team has is constant and can't be changed.
When a team member is gone, we expect the team to be less productive. The team and company should plan for this, and commit to less work during the period. The idea is that the team should GRACEFULLY reduce their workload, and not grind to a halt completely.
> When a team member is gone, we expect the team to be less productive. The team and company should plan for this, and commit to less work during the period. The idea is that the team should GRACEFULLY reduce their workload, and not grind to a halt completely.
Good luck making that work at a lean startup or for a team that is already understaffed.
What is the alternative? If you have less people, you are going to be less productive, period. You have no choice but to take a hit to productivity. You can either be smart about it and choose which areas to cut back on, or you can pretend it won't happen and lose productivity in a critical place you can't survive.
This is a strange comment, considering the person asking the question IS the mom.
Secondly, I feel like your entire argument around the extra work the team will face (and the idea that the team being fine with them gone means they provide no value) has an unstated premise; that the amount of work the team has is constant and can't be changed.
When a team member is gone, we expect the team to be less productive. The team and company should plan for this, and commit to less work during the period. The idea is that the team should GRACEFULLY reduce their workload, and not grind to a halt completely.