What Does Family-Friendly Mean?

I keep hearing that Israeli corporate culture is very family-friendly, which makes sense given how obsessed the country is with kids. Forget a village, it takes a country to raise a child. But still, where a 43 hour workweek is the norm and schools don't go that late, how family-friendly can it really be?

I shall tell you.

In one of today's training sessions, the guy giving the training got a phone call. Well, he got tons of phone calls throughout the meeting, but he answered one. First, he apologized to us like he really meant it, then he took the call. 

"Hi, Penina, what's going on?" 

Pause. 

"What? But I told him he couldn't!"

Pause.

"Let me talk to him."

Pause.

"No, but--"

Pause.

"I told him no, please let me talk to him."

Pause.

"Put him on the phone."

Pause.

"Hi, sweetie, what's going on?"

Pause.

"You have how many friends over?"

Pause.

"Right, but I said you couldn't."

Pause.

"The party's over; don't make Penina crazy; I'll see you when I get home; I love you; bye."

The development team leader gave us an embarrassed grin and shrugged.

I said, "August. What can you do?"

And the meeting moved right along.