The Father Hood was formed to offer support, advice and inspiration to modern dads. And after interviewing countless academics, educators and dads, we realised the biggest thing stopping dads from being more hands-on is the workplace.
The implications of this are wide-ranging, because until it’s unremarkable for men to play an equal role in family life it will remain remarkable for women to play an equal role in the workforce.
Parenting roles are undergoing a transformation. Dads today spend three times as many hours a week with their kids as their fathers did in the 1960s. Traditional gender norms are being reinvented, creating new ways for people to show up as parents and greater demands on families than ever before. COVID-19 cranked up the pressure and dialled up the opportunity for positive change.
The Father Hood’s workplace program is focused on supporting parents and driving important cultural change via presentations, webinars and facilitated discussions, for the benefit of all.
The benefits for your organisation in opening conversation about modern parenting and gender norm change are far-reaching:
1.Drive gender equity. Structural change is required to allow all parents the opportunity to take parental leave and work flexibly. And more important is the harder task of making flexible work culturally safe and the ‘norm’, so these benefits are accessed by everyone in your team.
2.Attract and retain the best talent. Parents have changing expectations of their employers in this unprecedented time in history. They’re seeking flexibility in the workplace like never before and loyalty is not guaranteed. For companies looking to retain talent, allowing for work-life integration is critical to the bottom line.
3.Support and connect your team members. Enabling your team members to show up to work as their full selves builds understanding, connection, teamwork, and ultimately performance.
It is vital that all parents have equal access to parental leave and flexible work opportunities. Equally important is the required cultural change within organisations to make it feel safe and normal for all parents to take up these opportunities. Everyone benefits when positive change is celebrated, while restrictive gender norms are tackled and torn apart.
That’s where The Father Hood steps in. Though hosting presentations and facilitated discussions, we provide a forum for discussion, role modelling and expectation alignment.
The end result is increased empathy, understanding and connection, with team members feeling better seen, supported, and inspired.
To learn more about how we can drive positive change in your workplace, please reach out to Jeremy via email on jeremy@the-father-hood.com.