Help Wanted: Dads Seeking Work/Family Balance
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Source: National Fatherhood Initiative
(NFI). (Spring 2005). Help wanted: Dads seeking work/family
balance. Retrieved March 10, 2006 from the http://www.fatherhood.org/
website at http://www.fatherhood.org/doclibrary/FT2005spring.pdf.
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Today's working fathers are more concerned
than ever about the need to balance their responsibilities
at work and their commitments to their families. In fact, men
report higher levels of interference between their jobs and
family lives than do women in the same situation.1 More than
half of fathers report that they are under a great deal of
stress dealing with pressures at work and demands at home.
Work/Family Balance: Not Just for Moms!
Work/family balance has surfaced in corporations
across the country as a "women's issue." But while
human resources departments have provided programs and information
to help working moms "balance" their dual roles as
employees and caregivers, dads in the same paradox have been
long overlooked. Given the pressures on fathers to perform
at their best in the workplace and the stigma associated with
working fathers taking time off from work for family, it is
essential that fatherhood resources and work/family balance
tools are provided to companies to help them get the most out
of their workers. And most importantly, children will benefit
from having involved, responsible, and committed fathers in
their lives.
Many in the business community have
also been slow to understand that moms taking on more
responsibility outside the home need partners who can
pick up more responsibility at home. Research shows that
more dads than ever before are taking an active role
in household duties such as cleaning, cooking, and grocery
shopping. In order to give working moms the best chance
at success, they need the support of a spouse that has
the ability to play an active role in caring for the
family.
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Encouraging fathers to not only provide for their children
financially, but also to nurture and guide them benefits children,
their mothers, dads, and even the business! That's right. Studies
by major corporations show that productivity and loyalty increase
when employees balance work and family.
National Fatherhood Initiative Helping Dads at
Work
B National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) is launching
a brand new line of resources just for businesses that will
provide real solutions for dads and fantastic products for
their companies to distribute!
Asking the Question "Are You Father Friendly?"
 NFI's Father Friendly Check-Up for BusinessesTM
is now available online so that businesses can assess their
level of father-friendliness in dealing with fathers as employees,
citizens, and customers. The Father Friendly Check-Up for BusinessesTM
will allow a company to determine its effectiveness in working
with fathers on four distinct measures: Leadership and Business
Philosophy, Management Training, Human Resource Programs and
Policies, and Community/Marketplace Perception of the Business.
This Father Friendly Check-Up for BusinessesTM
is available for free online at www.fatherhood.org. Kids can
even send their Dad in the military a message online on the
website.
Sending Dads "Packing"
Once a company has assessed its father friendliness,
many companies will find that they are in need of resources
to equip dads in their organization to balance work and family
responsibilities.
Once a company has assessed its father friendliness,
many companies will find that they are in need of resources
to equip dads in their organization to balance work and family
responsibilities.
Turning a Business into a Great Place for Working
Fathers
Each year, dozens of lists are created to tout
the best places to work for mothers, recent college graduates,
and a variety of other groups, so the time is right to add
fatherhood to the mix.
1The National Study of the Changing Workforce
2003 (Families and Work Institute)
2CareerBuilder.com (June 2003)
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