Millennial dads want better work-life balance to be with family

Modern day fathers are more involved than parenting than ever before, with the majority of dads requesting flexible work arrangements to suit their young families, a UK report looking at the challenges facing today’s dads at work has found.

 

In partnership with Deloitte, UK website DaddiLife interviewed over 2,000 working dads between the ages of 24-40 to find out what being a dad at work is like in the modern age.

 

Announcing The Millennial Dad at Work report, DaddiLife said “We researched and wrote the report because we’ve heard from a lot of dads over the last two years about the realities of life at work as a new dad. Some are happy with their post-baby work/life balance. Quite a few are not.”

 

The report found that modern day fathers are more involved in parenting than ever before, with 87 per cent of the dads surveyed either mostly or fully involved in day-to-day parenting duties. In addition to this, dads are increasingly putting fatherhood in front of their careers – or accepting the need for a better balance between work and home life after the birth of a child – with 63 per cent of dads having requested a change in working pattern since becoming a father.

 

The findings also highlighted that today’s dads are prepared to take action to ensure they achieve a lifestyle that suits their young family, with one third of dads having changed jobs since becoming a father for better flexibility.

 

“The data suggests that, at the moment, too many organisations are letting good workers drift into the arms of other organisations. Specifically the ones who are more sympathetic to the need for better flexibility at work,” DaddiLife said.

 

“The worry is that not all employers are getting the message. For instance, our research reveals that, while 14 per cent of our dads have requested to work from home on one or two days a week, less than one in five (19 per cent) have had the request granted. Similarly, 40 per cent of the dads interviewed have requested a change in working hours. But nearly half of them (44 per cent) have been turned down.

 

The report also found that:

 

• Only 56 per cent of dads believe that fathers are treated equally to mothers in their workplaces;  
• 37 per cent admit that their mental health is negatively affected as a result of trying to balance work and parental responsibilities;
• Nearly half (45 per cent) of working fathers regularly experience tension from their employer when trying to balance work and family life;
• While 37 per cent regularly experience tension from colleagues, and 45 per cent with their partners.

 

To read the full report, visit the DaddiLife website.