A survey of 2,000 working fathers aged between 24 and 40 found that two thirds had asked for a change in their working pattern since the birth of their child. 56% of those that asked to adjust their hours were allowed to do so which means that almost half were refused. 45% of millennial fathers said they had experienced tension from their employers over their wish to balance their work and home priorities. Only 19% of the fathers who requested working from home were given permission to do so.
The survey, carried out by Daddilife, a social media network for fathers, and Deloitte, shows that we are still a long way off accepting that dads as well as mums have child care responsibilities. Many employers have flexible working policies that are ‘gender neutral’ but when it comes to making a decision, managers are taking a traditional view of parenting.
Do you know what the practice is in your organisation? It’s no use pointing to the enlightened policy if managers are not applying it fairly. Is there still an unconscious bias as part of your organisational culture?