Why Companies Must Support Dads In The Workplace
our feature in Employee Benefit News
Happy Sunday!
We’ve been featured on Employee Benefit News on the role employers play in ensuring dads are supported at home and in the workplace. The fatherhood bonus in the workplace typically comes at a cost - neglecting ones family. We have got to change that. Brian Anderson, Founder of Fathering Together lay out the framework for supporting dads in the workplace to Deanna Cuadra of Employee Benefit News.
There is an assumption that men do not value care because we've seen men benefit greatly at work post-fatherhood, however, we've also seen how successful men and their families become when they take parental leave (as modeled by Alexis Ohanian Sr. and more), we know its possible to elevate support for men at work. And the work begins with recognizing the value that men bring to the home, to their household, and to our community. And as my friend Eve Rodsky says "for women to fully step into their power in the workplace, men must step into their power at home." At Mother Honestly (MH), we are focused on building work-life care infrastructure for your entire workforce because our goal is workplace where everyone doesn't just survive but flourish.
What a way to kick off the upcoming week! Full article here. Let's Go!
Blessing Adesiyan, founder and CEO of caregiving benefits provider Mother Honestly, couldn't agree more."There is the assumption that men do not value care, and this carries across from the home to the workplace," she says. "Men are often excluded from the conversation around support for working mothers. This has a huge effect on working mothers because it essentially signals that care is a women's issue."
Adesiyan notes that employers' failure to encourage working fathers to take adequate leave, access care stipends and child care coaching or join ERGs and workshops has only pushed more women out of the workforce as child care falls solely on their shoulders. It's no wonder roughly 3.5 million moms left the workforce during the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau. For many moms, it seemed as if society and their company culture expected them to leave, says Adesiyan. - Employee Benefit News
Adesiyan believes that employers are key to including dads in the caregiving conversation. If companies articulate their support for fatherhood within their benefits, leave policies and leadership training, it will start to change the gendered expectations surrounding child care for the better, she says
"Employers should create opportunities for fathers in the workplace to flourish in their responsibilities at home," says Adesiyan. "This includes offering an equal amount of paid parental leave, providing substantial childcare solutions and finally providing a forum for these conversations around care to be mainstream." - Employee Benefit News
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