Half (50%) of working fathers believe that flexible working is perceived as a sign of a lack of commitment to their role, according to research from My Family Care, published in June 2015.
The My Family Care fathers’ survey had 1,030 respondents in total: 1,000 fathers took part in the survey online and 30 working fathers were interviewed face-to-face. The research revealed that nearly two-thirds (60%) of those surveyed do not have a working pattern that suits them.
The research also found:
- Just 20% have seen shared parental leave impact their organisation, but 49% of fathers planning to have another child are open to the idea of sharing parental leave.
- Around a quarter (28%) of respondents say they are unhappy with their current work-life balance.
- 53% say they want to work in a different way to their current working pattern, either by having the ability to work remotely from home or leave the office an hour earlier.
- 42% of respondents worry that flexible working will affect their career progression.
Ben Black, director of My Family Care, said: “Today, two out of three mothers are in employment. This means that once the maternity leave period of parenthood comes to an end, many working couples share childcare responsibilities equally.
“As a result the role of the father has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and they want more flexibility and understanding from their employer.
“They are afraid to ask because of the perceived stigma and impact on their careers. In order to keep their workforce engaged and retain their best talent, businesses need to overcome generational differences and tackle the problems head on. An engaged workforce is a productive workforce. ”
