Fathers are concerned about work/life issues
We talk a lot about the fact that articles and surveys about working parents usually mean working mothers, but we all know that parents are parents and share the same concerns for family and work.
The latest Adecco USA Workplace Insights survey commissioned for Father’s Day found that working fathers agree with working mothers that managing family life is more challenging than managing a career and that they agree that workplaces should do more to support a better work/life balance.
The survey supports the idea that work/life balance is not just a mother’s issue:
“The perception that the work/life balancing act is mainly a female
struggle no longer holds up in today’s workplace,” says Rich Thompson, Vice
President of Training & Development for Adecco Group North America.“As moms and dads continue to more equally share responsibilities both at home and at
the office, employers need to be mindful of this and ensure that they offer
work/life benefits that are inclusive of both groups.”
When talking about the hurdles of managing careers and kids, fathers ask, “What about us?” and, mothers ask, “What about fathers?”
It’s time to recognize that a concerned parent is a concerned parent regardless if it’s mom or dad.
While, I am normally bothered by the fact that in the media and surveys father’s are typically not included (not to mention any parenting magazine), it has been my experience that it is actually even worse in the workplace.
For example, I told my boss one day, that I had to leave early and get my daughter because she was sick. The response? “Where’s your wife? Why do you have to do this?”