At least once a year, most companies participate in Take Your Child to Work Day and allow their employees to bring their children in to see what mom and dad do all day. If you’ve never taken advantage of such an opportunity, you should know there’s a lot you and your children are missing out on. This experience is more than just spending the next 8 hours with your children in the office, it’s about teaching them valuable lessons that they’ll keep with them now and forever.
Such exposure to the corporate world early on in their lives encourages your kids to dream big and realize that the skies really are the limit to what they can accomplish. Whether you’re a construction law attorney who represents contractors, developers, and property owners in litigating construction disputes, contract issues, and personal injuries or you work for a business-to-business freight shipping company that supports small and medium sized businesses in shipping merchandise by offering affordable LTL freight quotes, there is a lot your children can learn from spending the day mirroring you.
The Importance of Education
It’s one thing to talk to your kids about the importance of doing good in school and going off to college, but quite another for them to see firsthand why their education matters. Whether they’re interested in your position or something that one of your coworkers does, the steps it takes to achieve those dreams (like going to school and doing well) resonates a lot better with them.
Hard Work Pays Off
Your children often hear about your stories from the office, but experiencing those events on their own is a teachable moment. Seeing the trials and tribulations you face at work and how motivated you are to diligently work to resolve the matter shows your children the importance of perseverance to reach their goals – despite the obstacles that may be in the way.
Leadership Skills
Whether you’re the manager or an entry-level employee bringing your children to work instills quality leadership skills in them. Giving them instructions on various tasks they can help with, showing them how processes work, and supporting them as they strive to try some of the work tasks on their own are all examples of a great leader. As you work hard to put your best foot forward in front of the kids, they pay attention to this and essentially want to learn how to be effective leaders as well.
They See You in a New Light
Your children might hear about you going to work but they don’t actually get to see you in action. Bringing them to work with you creates an opportunity for them to see just how much you’re responsible for in the office. It shows them the professional side of you and all it takes to hold down this job that supplies for your family. It gives them a new level of respect for all that you do in the office and at home.
Creates New Bonding Opportunities
When your child is exposed to a part of your life that was once just an idea to them, it can create a real bonding experience for you both. Seeing what you do, how the workplace operates, and how such operations work to provide a product or service to the general public can open their minds to so many different things. This can spark questions and conversations about things that they otherwise wouldn’t have been concerned with.
Taking your kids to work is a lot more than you may have imagined. No matter what line of business you’re in, your children can learn a lot. From leadership skills and effective communication to the importance of organization and striving to be something great, there are a lot of opportunities to teach your children how to be outstanding professionals one day. It’s a day to look forward to every year for both parents and their children.