One affliction of the modern knowledge worker is that people don’t see their children: first, because they work late in the office; and then, because they spend their hours in the home clearing their email.

I was pleased to read in today’s morning paper, then, that the Israeli civil service is going to adopt policies that will mitigate at least part of this issue. A report whose recommendations were approved by the cabinet will make government employ more parenting-friendly. There will be  summer camps for employees’ kids, there will be a  move to output-based employee assessment (rather than time based), and what I like most – working parents will be allowed to leave at 3PM once a week to spend time with their children.

Of course, a lot depends on the details, which need to be worked out and implemented by a special committee – an inevitable but not always effective route. But if all goes well, one sector of workers in Israel will spend a longer afternoon with their families, and that is a really good thing. As to whether they’ll use the extra time to do email – well, that’s where I might come in… 🙂