Father-Friendly Workplaces

This Sunday is Father's Day in the US and it's a time when our nation celebrates the contribution that dads make to the future through the way they raise their children.

Fatherhood advocates maintain that widening work/life balance programs to address more of fathers' needs has payback for both families and employers. In a newsletter posted at the HR Daily Advisor, http://www.newsletterarchive.org/from/HR+Daily+Advisor they share timely tips for father-friendly workplaces.

The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), an organization dedicated to promoting greater involvement of fathers in family life, promotes involvement of fathers in raising healthy children. A report on their website indicates that children with involved fathers perform better on almost every measure, including higher self-esteem, higher grades, lower drug and alcohol use. And, according to another report, fathers indeed want to be more involved. In fact, they say that 7 of 10 fathers say they would take a pay cut if it meant that they could spend more time with their families. That's a pretty whopping number!

Unfortunately, working fathers are reluctant to take more time off because they often don't see the work/life programs (when they exist) as relevant to them and they get in their own way with their attitude. Many dads still operate under the old classic model of the father as the breadwinner while mom is at home caring for their children. And, today, this model is clearly no longer valid due to the growing number of mothers in the workforce and women as breadwinners for their families.

According to a study done by Vanier Institute in Canada, fathers, seeing themselves as family "breadwinners," do not take advantage of workplace work/life balance programs that may be available, for three reasons: (1) fear of lost wages, (2) fear of losing their jobs or stalling their careers, and (3) guilt that colleagues need to take over for them. What these men and their managers may not realize, says NFI, is that allowing fathers opportunities to take time from work for family reasons is not only good for families, but also for employers.

Here are some suggestions for creating more of a "father-friendly" workplace:

• Allow flexible scheduling so that dads have more control over their schedule, including sometimes where and when they work.
• Communicate policies as family-friendly not for working mothers alone.
• Lead by example. Have executives and senior management serve as role models by participating in programs and actively and visibly supporting from the top.
• Provide education and support to fathers.
• Offer paid paternity leave, to address the issue of fathers fearing loss of income in their breadwinner role.

For more on the National Fatherhood Initiative and to conduct a "Father Friendly Check-Up for Business" on your organization, visit http://www.fatherhood.org/.

Happy Father's Day!

Warmly,

Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com

Women Leaders Getting Better at Juggling

I read an article yesterday that was published in the Miami Herald. It was in the Balancing Act section and was about how top women business leaders are good at juggling. Although I avoid endorsing juggling as a strategy and opt for rebalancing or integrating instead, the key point that I extracted from the article is about women talking more to each other and sharing solutions. Women today are finding more work/life solutions because we're supporting each other better!

As women climb the career ladder or start their own business, the importance of having a diverse network of supporters both inside and outside of the workplace increases as does their responsibilities at work. Those who have been most successful at achieving an overall life satisfaction have learned to incorporate effective strategies for enhancing performance and productivity.

Even as women are building businesses and advancing on the career ladder, an ever-increasing number are also achieving work/life balance -- A whopping 61 percent of women business leaders interviewed for this article claim they are satisfied with the balance between their career and personal life, up from 51 percent in 2006, according to the 2007 survey released by FIU's Center for Leadership and The Commonwealth Institute.

Talking with other women and learning about potential strategies that work has helped women adapt effective strategies for better balancing their lives. The universal challenge of findingmore work/life balance is easing as more and more women talk honestly and openly about it and determine creative solutions. As women set more realistic expectations, we they are permitting ourselves to have time for our self and to ask for (and accept) help both inside and outside work, when needed.

Women need to stop hiding behind the facade of being perfect and be real instead. There's so much more we can learn from each other when we're open and honest!

From one working mom to many others....

Yours truly,

Coach Natalie Gahrmann
natalie@nrgcoaching.com