The value of being father friendly in the workplace
Sarah Jackson, an independent expert on family-friendly working, recently visited Guernsey to speak at the Guernsey CIPD’s conference on diversity and inclusion. Here she examines how the workplace needs to adapt to the changing needs of dads
THERE is an increasingly powerful business case for being father-friendly.
To understand the change that is happening, ask yourself when you last heard someone talk about working fathers. Working mothers, of course. But working fathers – not so much.
The man who has a picture of his kids on his desk or in his locker is someone who has responsibilities and will work hard to fulfil them. No. He is the least engaged member of your staff.
Today’s young father wants to play an active role at home and resents his employer for his lack of opportunities to work flexibly and to spend time with his kids. He wants equality, at home and at work. And this quote from a young father starkly illustrates the change – ‘I resent being relegated to the status of breadwinner’.
Not only that – he is taking action to get what he wants. He is turning down promotion, downshifting, and looking for another job with an employer who will support his family aspirations. He is making the same career compromises that women have been making for 30 years.
The annual Modern Families Index, published by the charity Working Families, has been tracking this development over the past five or six years. There is now little gender difference in the actions parents take to achieve the flexible, family-friendly jobs that they want. This has serious implications for male talent retention, male career progression, and the ability of employers to fill senior roles a few years down the line.
In a tight labour market, like that in Guernsey, being father-friendly may make the difference between attracting and keeping the skilled workers you need, or struggling to do so. These young men will vote with their feet if your employment offering is not father-friendly.
