CEO Questions How ‘Fair’ Parents Who Are Primary Caretakers Are Being to Employers

A Utah CEO has gone viral for his comments at a company meeting questioning whether full-time parents are being “fair” to their employers and their kids

Balancing work and family life is a challenge for basically everyone. But one CEO is going viral for his hot take that is decidedly not it.

James Clarke, the CEO of Utah-based digital marketing and technology company Clearlink, has made a ton of headlines for his comments during a meeting where he ended his company’s remote-first policy and demanded that all employees who live within 50 miles of a company office start returning to work on-site. But his reasoning for that decision is what has people shocked and angry—and for good reason.

In his remarks, Clarke seemed to question whether people who are the primary caregivers for their kids—calling out single moms specifically—are being “fair” to their employers and children.

“Many of you have tried to tend your own children and doing so [while] also managing your demanding work schedules and responsibilities. And while I know you’re doing your best — some would say they’ve even mastered this art — but one could also argue that generally this path is neither fair to your employer nor fair to those children,” he said. “I don’t necessarily believe that. But I do believe that only the rarest of full-time caregivers can also be a productive and full-time employee at the same time. You may take issue with any part of this but I believe that the data will also support this in time.”

Later in the call, he added, “That is not a criticism of the noble nature of motherhood, nor the ability to do both well. But there are only so many waking hours in each day.”

During other parts of the absolutely unhinged meeting, the CEO praised a female vice president at the company who had chosen to drop down to part-time work, once again suggesting that he doesn’t believe it’s possible for someone to both care for children and work full-time.

“It can be done, but it adds so much stress to a working mother’s life that I would never want to put that on anyone.”

As if that isn’t bad enough, Clarke also praised an unnamed employee who made the “heartbreaking” decision to sell the family dog so he could go back to in-person work.

The video has gone viral all over the internet, with basically everyone agreeing that this CEO is an insane person. In the age of rapidly rising costs, out-of-control inflation, and ever-widening income inequality, suggesting that parents just stop working because it isn’t “fair” to their employers that they might have other things on their mind is about as out of touch as you can be.