Work-Life and Dads

The current recession has placed increasing stress on working families as businesses strive to do more with less (heavier workloads, longer hours). An article on CNN.com summarizes a CareerBuilder Survey, Working Dads, which asked 797 men who are employed full-time and have children 18 and younger living at home, about their current work/life balance. Most fathers surveyed agreed that they are hesitant to give up their income in the current economy but are increasingly interested in exploring alternate pathways that allow them to spend more quality time with their families.

Work/life balance has always been a struggle for fathers and continues to be even more of an issue. With the advanced technology of cell phones, it is nearly impossible to separate work from home life. Thirty percent of surveyed fathers admitted that they would take a pay cut if they were given the opportunity to spend more time at home with their children. Some other interesting statistics from the article that illustrate the struggle of working parents:

-Thirty-nine percent of surveyed dads spend two hours or less per workday with their children, and 14 percent spend an hour or less.

-Half of working fathers admit to missing a significant event in their children’s lives in the last year due to work; 28 percent missed more than three.

These statistics illustrate the need for companies to offer alternatives that provide their employees with greater balance between their home and work. Providing employees with greater work/life balance leads to more productive and happier employees creating a benefit for both the employer and worker. For more information on workplace flexibility visit www.cvworkingfamilies.org.

By Kaitlin Herbert