Job Listing Slammed After It Says Parents Who Pick Up Children From School Shouldn't Apply

Sep 11, 2021 by apost team

As a working parent, having the flexibility to balance your career and your personal life is a necessity. This is why it was shocking when a soccer club from the U.K. sent out an advertisement looking for a new general manager and specifically mentioned that parents who need to pick up their kids from school need not apply, as the BBC reports. The listing has since been deleted but not before it received plenty of backlash online.

The Lancashire-based team, AFC Fylde, posted the advertisement for a General Manager of Football in early September 2021, but it warned any interested parties that they shouldn't apply if they were "looking for a work-life balance." The non-league team plays out of Mill Farm in Wesham, U.K. Their job listing also required applicants to live nearby.

The listing said that the reason they do not want parents to apply is that they value hard work. It is now being called discriminatory and also callous toward working families. Many agree that the suggestion that a parent needing to care for their child doesn’t qualify as working hard is ridiculous. The organization has come under scrutiny and has not made a comment yet about the advertisement.

In a world where it is already difficult to make ends meet for a lot of families, a job description like this is very discouraging. It also sets a bad precedent for any employees working at the company that already have familial responsibilities. Hopefully, the soccer club will learn its lesson and be more inclusive moving forward. Keep reading to learn more about this advertisement.

According to Today News U.K., the now-deleted job listing read: 

"The successful candidate must, therefore, be able to demonstrate a successful track record in a similar role within the sporting and entertainment industry. Football experience, although an asset, is not a requirement, but a fanatical eye for detail and the ability to write and implement a detailed strategic plan is!

"This is a hands-on role and requires hands-on leadership from the front so delegators and office dwellers please don't apply. If not already apparent, we are not a Premiership club and therefore every penny and every fan has to be fought for and respected.

"You will need to be proactive in your approach to everything. We work hard at Fylde so again, don't apply if you are looking for a work-life balance or have to pick up the kids from school twice a week at 3.30. You will need to live close to the club and immerse yourself in the local community at all levels.” 

The job listing gained a lot of attention and there has been a ton of backlash over the advertisement online. According to Today News U.K., one Twitter user wrote, "I’m absolutely disgusted by this job advert. I think this needs reporting to The National League.”

"Yuk. Appreciate some jobs might not be able to offer flexibility but the idea that flexibility is the opposite of ‘working hard’ is disgusting,” another Twitter user commented, as per Today News U.K.

With any luck, the company will have learned a valuable lesson and will be more inclusive in the future.

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