Why Supporting dads in the workplace matters
What society expects a dad to be has changed significantly in the last 50 years. In the 1970s many dads weren’t even at their baby’s births and the average working father spent just five minutes per day with their children.
Increasing diversity and equality throughout society means more and more dads are striving for a better work/life balance. They are demanding more family-friendly working to ensure they stay involved, present parents. A 2019 study of millennial fathers found that nearly a third had changed jobs to improve the work/life balance and a further third were actively looking to change jobs. This change has been catalysed more recently as dads came home in their millions during the pandemic. The unprecedented increase in their childcare time during lockdown (almost double) made dads feel like better fathers and has led more dads than ever to seek out family-friendly working.
Most workplaces have policies to support employees to manage their work and home life. However, outdated gender stereotypes often persist, with the assumption that mum is the principal caregiver, and dad is the principal provider. When fathers want to become more active caregivers this can lead to them encountering difficulties accessing family-friendly policies, or fearing that they will be penalised as a result.
This rapid cultural shift has meant that employers who fail to offer better work/life balance to all parents risk losing or being unable to recruit the best people. In contrast, becoming a truly family-friendly employer supporting both mums and dads will result in a more engaged, productive and loyal workforce.
Fact Sheets
- The changing workplace culture
Download pdf - Getting the team on board
Download pdf - Supporting Dads to work flexibly
Download pdf - Ten top tips for a father-friendly workplace
Download pdf - Tackling Long-hours culture
Download pdf - Supporting dads through parenting leave
Download pdf - The biggest myths about dads
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Research
- Employee Workshops- Increasing well-being and engagement for new dads
Download pdf - Perception is Reality - Dads in SMES
Link to Blog summary full dissertation - Where’s Dad Too? – Father proofing your work
Download pdf - Fatherhood Forfeits - part-time working for fathers
Watch Video - How to support employees taking shared parental leave
Watch Video - How workplaces and work-family policy influence dads' involvement at home
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Case Studies
- Shared Parental Leave Video Casebooks – What’s in it for employers
Watch Video - How I went part time to become a better Dad
Watch Video - Dad up in the workplace - David Early
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