Being a working parent is a delicate balancing act which challenges even the most organised.
As children go back to school this week after the more relaxed vibe of the summer months, parents face another year of juggling the demands of both work and family.
But when we hear so much about the challenges working mums face, are we forgetting about the dads?
Perhaps it’s still more socially acceptable for women to talk about work-life balance because they are typically perceived to be the primary caregivers. It’s undeniable that we are bombarded by the media about challenges faced by working women who want to have it all, but rarely talk about dads who may experience the same guilt and pressure when trying to balance careers and fatherhood.
According to a recent global study of 250000 men, dads are struggling to juggle work and family life just as much as women; they just feel less able to talk about it. Why? Because they fear that opening up will mean negative career repercussions.
With this in mind, we need to be mindful of the different types of support employers can put in place for both working mums and dads. We know that when employers give their employees more freedom, they are happier, more loyal and care more about what they do.
One way to help employees achieve the elusive work-life balance is by flexible working. It’s the statutory right for any employee who has worked for their employer continuously for over 26 weeks to make a request. Flexible working doesn’t just mean starting and finishing early; when there are so many other options it’s worth considering different approaches to help support both mums and dads to be more productive at work and manage the demands of a growing family.
Flexible Work Options
Job Sharing: Two people do one job and split the hours
Working from home: Enabling employees to do some or all of the work from home
Part Time: Working less than full-time hours – this can be organised by working fewer days, or shorter days at work over a 5-day week
Compressed Hours: Working full-time hours but over fewer days
Flexitime: The employee chooses when to start and end work (within agreed limits) but works certain ‘core hours’, for example 10am to 4pm every day
Annualised hours: The employee has to work a certain number of hours over the year but they have some flexibility about when they work. There are sometimes ‘core hours’ which the employee regularly works each week, and they work the rest of their hours flexibly or when there’s extra demand at work
Staggered hours: The employee has different start, finish and break times from other workers
To help create a level playing field for your employees, make sure everyone is fully aware how to apply for flexible working. This, in addition to focussing on outputs, rather than time spent at the desk, will surely go a long way to helping create a more level playing field for both working mums and dads.
If you need support to help your employees to attain the ever-elusive work-life balance, we can help. Give us a call on 01256 328 428 and we will help you through the options.
