A businesswoman who claimed that working from home was a bad example for children has been called ‘offensive’ and ‘old-fashioned’.
Tina Knight from Essex said that parents who continue to work remotely could be harmful for the future generation of workers. She also called the’sense entitlement’ among the public “incredible.”
Today, she appeared on Good Morning Britain and compared the mindset of working at home that is passed on to children by their parents to the mindset of those receiving unemployment benefits.
After setting up her own electronics company Miss Knight was awarded Margaret Thatcher’s 1988 Women in Business Award. She currently sits on the boards for both the public and private sector companies.
Geeta Sidhu Robb, the owner of Nosh Detox, criticized her argument, insisting that her approach is ‘another tool to beat women with’. She said employees are often more productive at work.
Tina Knight is the chairman of Women into Business. She stated that parents who continue to work remotely could be detrimental for the future generation of workers. She also called the sense of entitlement among the general public ‘incredible.
Geeta Sidhu Robb, the owner of Nosh Detox, criticized her argument, insisting that her approach is ‘another tool to beat women with’. She also said that employees are often more productive at work than they are at home.
‘The problem is people don’t want to hear the truth, everything has to be sugar coated,’ said Tina from her home in Essex. ‘I think it’s not the next generation, it’s here with us now.
If you were to ask anyone what they would like to be doing, the majority would prefer to work from home. Do a good hour in the morning, then a long lunch and then an hour in afternoon. We have to accept reality.
“Business is to make money. This makes the government take profit, which makes the wheels turn. Profit seems like a dirty word. But productivity is essential for profit.
She said that Brits adopted a “euphoric Dunkirk spirit” in the first months of the pandemic, and productivity spiked. However, she fears the long-term consequences could be more severe.
Tina says longterm impacts of working from home could be more harmful than returning to the office, but Geeta was quick to criticise her argument, pointing out that she has successfully raised three children while running a thriving company from home
‘You’re finding the mental problem is becoming more pronounced because people like the camaraderie of working,’ she said.
‘The buzz of working, the brainstorming, the general things that give extra output, and companies are now finding that missing and a lot of the reason companies are bowing to the pressure is the shortage of staff in certain sectors, they’re being blackmailed into it.’
Geeta from London was quick to criticize her argument. She pointed out that she had three children and a successful company from home.
‘To me that’s not just old fashioned, I think old fashioned is a very polite way of putting it. I think it’s quite an offensive approach’, she said. ‘It is yet another stick to beat women with when they’re really just trying to do the best they’re trying to do.
‘I’ve been working from home for 18 years because my eldest son was very ill and I had to make the money to pay the bills and look after my children, there wasn’t a way to do it, it is incredibly offensive to say I work an hour a day.
Tina stated that she was a chair of Women into Business and supports women starting businesses remotely from home after having children.
“I have three children who went to private school and I have built a company that employs people. I get dressed every morning, and then I go downstairs to work. I use it as an office and work eight to ten hours per day depending on the needs of my business.
‘It’s all very well with everyone being very wealthy, but for everyone else we’ve had such a hard time. We’re doing the very best we can and this sort of thing is trying to make you feel bad.’
Tina argued that as chairman of Women into Business she is in favour of women choosing to work from home and starting businesses remotely after they have children, adding they are ‘often very successful’.
She said that as their business grows, and they become more successful, they begin to employ people. Then attitudes start to change. ‘It’s all very well saying you have expenses, it’s what’s called life but you have to make the wheels go round.
She continued to argue that many people will work more at home than in the office. She also stated that parents often pass on their attitudes towards working to their children.
‘If people want to have their own business and work from home that’s fine, but when you have larger business and you personally are relying on raising enough funds to pay wages, you’ve got to compete with other countries outside. You need to see it from another perspective.
‘It’s offensive not to tell the truth, it may offend but it’s certainly not offensive.’
She continued to argue that many people will work more at home than in the office. She also stated that parents often pass on their attitudes towards working to their children.
She stated, “It is setting an example of bad behavior.” I quickly read the comments of a gentleman this morning and he mentioned unemployment benefits and how it has set bad examples. You’ve got three generations of families now who have never gone to work because it’s a mindset.
‘I can see, he’s looking at that as the way things are going. It’s amazing how people feel entitled now. It used to be a hard day’s work to get a day’s wage in my day. I don’t see what’s wrong in that.’