Do You Participate In Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day? — Experts Weigh In

Thursday April 26^th marks “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” in the United States. How many entrepreneurs participate in this holiday, exactly? We chatted with a handful of entrepreneurial experts to find out if they plan on taking their tykes in to the office this year and how they’ll celebrate the day.

1. “I’m an immigration attorney. Last year, I took my nine-year-old daughter and my two assistants’ nine year old daughters to the courthouse. The courthouse staff had breakfast for the kids in one of the large courtrooms, met various judges, watched the trial of the Three Little Pigs, watched a real hearing via video, and met with pet therapy dogs provided by the Office of Victim Advocate. The court gave out legal themed coloring books. It was an excellent experience that we hope to repeat this year.” — Elizabeth Ricci, Managing Partner, Rambana and Ricci

2. “I take both of my daughters to numerous business events on a regular basis as I love being with them and want to expose them to the business environment. One year I took my oldest daughter to work, but I did something different, I took her to someone else’s office. She already knows what I do so I wanted her to experience another area. We took a tour of an architectural firm that I do business with. She really enjoyed it and I think liked hearing from someone who is not her dad. I recommend this to others.” — John Crossman, CEO, Crossman & Company

3) “We do this once a year and the experience has been UNFORGETTABLE! The day is divided into 3 stages. First, during the morning, we try to make it a normal day of work so that the children can see their parents really work as they do every day. Then, we make a group lunch of the whole team and we try to generate a very familiar atmosphere where we even make draws so that each child takes a souvenir of the company. Finally in the afternoon, we organize games where father and son play as a team. We found this to be the best way to spend this special day! I hope it can be useful for other small businesses too.” — Cristian Rennella, Co-Founder & CEO, CalculatorBuddy.com

4) “I started bringing my daughter to the office when she was 9, and we came up with things for her to do. For example, she sorted papers and filed documents. I even paid her a little bit of money to keep her interest flowing. She¹s now 10 years old, and has worked a few times. She takes it very seriously, has a really good work ethic and constantly asks when she can come back. After work, we grab a bite to eat. This is a memorable opportunity for both of us, and a chance for me to talk to her about work ethic, respecting others and other skills needed to be a productive member of the workforce.” — Vladimir Gendelman, CEO, Company Folders, Inc.

5) “When I took my son to work, I didn’t want him to get a negative impression of what life is like at my law firm. There are some days when cases are compromised and negotiations don’t go smoothly, after all. Instead, I asked him for his opinion on some cases we had settled so he would learn about ethics. I asked him if he thought an employer who fired someone because he was black was right or wrong, and I asked if he thought boys and girls should make the same amount of money if they do the same work. I told him that my job is to make sure bosses treat everyone fairly, and I likened it to how he gets treated at school. Would it be fair if your teacher gave you different grades because you were a boy? Or because you didn’t agree with what she believes? He told me no, none of that would be fair, and asked why people did that to each other. He also asked me how I helped these people and if there was anything he could do. I was proud and glad he had the ability and desire to make those statements. Looking back, bringing my son to work and using my career to give him the opportunity to consider ethics and morals was a valuable moment for both of us, and I felt that was only one reason to keep the day going thereafter. I opened it up for all of our employees, and also considered how beneficial it would be for everyone’s children to meet each other and mingle. Some of the kids have become good friends, and if those relationships continue throughout their lives, then I consider ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ a complete success.” — Jesse Harrison, CEO, Employee Justice Legal Team

6) “I do participate in take your child to work day. My teenager, being knowledgeable in social media, was a huge asset that day and has since been hired on part-time by the company to do odd jobs and help with social media research and posting for our clients. My husband owns the company, and together we like to provide a supportive environment for our staff and by extension, their families which includes staff events and take your kid to work day.” — Michelle Faulds, Marketing Specialist, SlyFox Digital Media Marketing

7) “When my daughter was 12, she spent the day with me at work. I am a probate attorney, and she came to court with me. I introduced her to the judge as my legal assistant, and prepared her for what she needed to say to his Honor, should he ask her any questions. The experience went well. It helped that I knew the judge had a sense of humor.” — Everett Sussman, Esquire, Law Offices of E.G. Sussman

8) “I always participate in Take Your Child to Work Day. My son is six and I love for him to see what I do and why I do it. For me it’s not just once a year, I bring him to my office a few times every month and talk to him about what I do. Even though he is only six, there are still many lessons that he can learn. My father started teaching me sales and marketing at a very young age and I plan on doing the same thing with my son. My son loves the experience and is learning about basic business ideas such as how to use a video camera, photo camera, set up backdrops, how to fly a drone, etc.” — Nicole Staab, President, ROF Industries Inc.

Are you ready to take your son/daughter to work and inspire them to become entrepreneurs and small business owners later in life? Give us a call at 1-877-692-6772 or visit us at mycorporation.com.