Family friendly work?

New research shows that many employers fall short of offering fathers the support they need.

New research from BT and the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei), shows that despite fathers having a greater role in raising their children, many employers fall short of offering them the support they need.

1,500 fathers were surveyed across the UK, with the findings revealing that while one in two fathers (49%) say they do the majority or an equal share of the childcare, two thirds (67%) don’t think their employers have sufficient family friendly policies. The caring doesn’t stop with children however’ many of those interviewed said they also had caring responsibilities for others; 18% care for parents or parents-in-law and 10% for a disabled partner.

While more than half of dads (52%) say they do manage to prioritise their family life more than a third (35%) now work more than ever, which means they often aren’t able to be as involved in family life as they would like to be.

The study also revealed that nearly nine out of ten fathers (87%) want their employer to do more to help them with their parenting responsibilities:

• 49% want to be able to work flexibly
• 21% want to be able to take paternity leave
• 25% want their employer to be more understanding of the demands of fatherhood
• 38% would like support with child care

The research findings may be a stark warning for employers who do not take supporting fathers seriously as almost half, (46%) of dads would consider changing their employer for greater flexibility.

Denise Keating, CEO of enei, said: “With traditional family roles having changed significantly in recent decades, a healthy workplace culture treats men and women equally. True gender equality will only happen when it is not only socially and culturally acceptable, but actually expected that fathers will play an equal part in the care and upbringing of their children. If employers do not move with the times and proactively enable this, there is a risk of disengagement, loss of performance, or even worse, a perception of discrimination against the male workforce.”

BT
Caroline Waters, Director of People and Policy at BT and Chair of Employers for Fathers, said: “Clearly, as fathers are now more involved in childcare and an essential part of the workforce, it makes sense for employers to do more to understand what they need if they’re going to continue to attract and retain great employees. Too often the parenting debate gets focused solely on women as the traditional primary provider of childcare. This is a real wake-up call for employers, with the survey showing us that the role of parenting in the 21st century is a shared responsibility. Our employment policies must reflect this.”

BT gives fathers two weeks paid paternity leave, the option of two weeks unpaid paternity leave and shared parenting leave. BT’s flexible working policies, such as part-time, term-time and job sharing, can achieve a better balance between work and family commitments, which can be especially important for those with young families or caring responsibilities. BT has more than 89,000 employees worldwide, of whom 73,800 are UK based. Around 69,000 BT people are equipped to work flexibly
What do you think of this research? What family friendly policies does your organisation offer?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.