Supporting Fathers On Father’s Day

18th June is when we celebrate Father’s Day.

For this blog post, we wanted to highlight the commitment of working fathers and how their dedication to their career and their family can impact them too.

In this day and age, having two working parents is normal.

With work-life balance and gender equality firmly on today’s political agenda, nationally and internationally.

New fathers are given the opportunity to take paternity leave, depending on which country they live in, the period of time can vary.

In 2003, paternity leave was introduced in the United Kingdom. This policy allowed new fathers two weeks of paid paternity leave.

Last year, three in four dads reported feeling stressed trying to juggle family life and work life, as men faced the challenge of being a great dad and having a great career.

In many organisations, men struggle to open up saying they need help and support. They also find it difficult to ask for time off for childcare or for work flexibility which can impact mental health.

What Is The Impact On Their Mental Health?

• Feeling less engaged

• Less motivated

• Lack of productivity

On top of work pressures, new dads can face; sleep deprivation, additional responsibility, and perinatal mental health issues.

A factor that is not often considered for new dads is those whose partners experience difficulties within the perinatal period, they are up to 50 times more likely to develop postnatal depression, but who looks after the dad?

How Can Organisations Help Support Working Dads?

• Create a safe place for them to talk, offering a variety of well-being support to suit both genders, to help working parents feel more comfortable addressing line managers about any issues they are having at home.

• Introduce flexible working to help balance work and their personal life.

• Educate fathers as well as mothers on leave policies. Often working parents are not aware of policies that they are eligible to use or they misunderstand who may use particular policies. The Equal Parenting Policy has identified the need for better communication.

• Develop a return to work-plan for fathers who are taking a longer period of leave. Many workplaces, may have support for mothers returning from maternity leave but not for fathers. For many new fathers returning to work after paternity leave can be difficult to find support in the workplace and a work-life balance.