Hacker News Reader

Comment by cpersona | Hacker News Reader

I'm all for freedoms until they infringe on the freedoms of others. You shouldn't have to go to work in a place where you don't feel comfortable. Raise the issue. Any responsible and reasonable employer would either nix the policy or find a way to accommodate your situation in some way.

View on HN

I'm uncomfortable around (and supremely irritated by) human babies, but it's pretty common to let people bring their awful babies into an office. Those babies don't work here, and they have no business being here, but I guess human parents feel they have some legitimate reason to bring them to work. In a fair world, I don't see how dogs are any different.

They bring them to work, set them in a bouncer, and then proceed to work the entire day while the baby is there?

The most I've ever seen is a few minutes of someone bring in their child to show some co-workers before after heading out to lunch or home.

If someone is bringing their baby in while they are working for the whole day, I think it would be reasonable to ask them to find child care options.

Yes, I've only seen the same. Having children at the office for a work day isn't sensible. Except when it's actually provided for:

At a large company I was interviewing at they showed us an open-floor office for employees whose babysitter was missing on that day (or a sick spouse or whatever).

The employees could just grab their laptop, and take a desk in that office for a day.

In front of all the desks was a glass wall. Behind it a kindergarten, so that the parents could see their child and the children were occupied.

I'll give you the same advice I gave the OP. Raise the issue. Any reasonable company would provide you with a suitable resolution.

It's almost as if the rules for humans were different than those for dogs.

Having a phobia is by definition not reasonable.

That's true, but accommodating a phobia very well could be. It's not like OP has a phobia of keyboards.

I personally would draw the line at compelling other people's behavior, assuming it was not intentionally antagonistic.

I disagree. I think there are examples of compelling other people's behavior that can be reasonable accommodations. Providing a dog-free space (not necessarily the entire workplace) is reasonable. On the other hand, completely eliminating dogs from the company policy for one employee would not be reasonable.

Dislike of dogs is also partly cultural.

Good thing he's not a racist...

And yet open office plans are rampant despite ample evidence that they infringe on the freedoms of others (to get their work done). Seems like a much more reasonable thing to accommodate, no? Still, at many places, places of professional aspiration even, it is not. Hmmm.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com