Father friendly workplaces
More and more employers across all industries are recognising that introducing family-friendly policies makes good business sense. The many benefits to be gained include increased productivity and efficiency flowing from greater flexibility, reduced absenteeism and staff turnover, and recruitment advantages.
Work and family balance is not just a ‘women’s’ issue, as is sometimes supposed. Many men are also finding it difficult to juggle priorities, which for many include deep-seated needs to care for their children. Therefore it is important that organisations design policies which recognise and cater for the particular needs of both men and women.
The changing workforce
Issues for Working Fathers
Suggestions for creating a father-friendly workplace
Examples of entitlements in certified agreements in male-dominated companies
The changing workforce
Between 1979 and 2004 the labour force participation rate of partnered women increased from 39 to 56 per cent. In 2005, 60.4 per cent of couple families with dependents had both partners in the workforce. As a result of these changes the number and proportion of workers who have family responsibilities has increased significantly. With the increase in dual income families, there may be less pressure on men to be the sole provider. This allows men more choice regarding the level of their workforce participation than would have been possible a generation ago.
However, while women re-entering the workforce have sought to juggle work and family responsibilities by working flexibly, men have not done so to the same extent. Men are generally working longer hours, and fathers predominantly continue to work full-time while mothers take on part-time work. In June 2005, about 7 per cent of employed fathers and 35 per cent of employed mothers worked part-time.
Although flexible work arrangements may be available to many employees, fathers may feel economic or social pressure not to use them. In 2002, 30% of fathers used some form of flexible working arrangements to help care for their children aged less than 12 years. This was an increase from 24% in 1993. In contrast, 70% of working mothers used flexible work arrangements in 2002. The most frequently used arrangements used by fathers in 2002 were flexible working hours (22%) followed by working from home (9%).
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Issues for Working Fathers
There is convincing evidence that working fathers experience work/family balance conflict to virtually the same extent as working mothers and want to spend more time with their family and children. There is even some evidence to suggest that working fathers experience the same guilt and anxieties at work, while thinking about their children, as working mothers. It is also widely acknowledged that time spent with parents is essential for child self-development.
Unfortunately, many working fathers are reluctant to play a greater role in family life due to the influence of workplace culture. Levine and Pittinsky found, for example, that many fathers were too scared to admit why they wanted some time off work if it was to do with looking after their child. Others would automatically expect their wife to look after their child because they thought her boss would be more understanding than his. They found that, in a number of cases, this fear was ill-founded, illustrating the negative role that perceived culture can play.
Working fathers are more likely than working mothers to structure their time to gain maximum income. For example, men are less likely to take periods of unpaid leave to look after new babies, yet they seem to be happy to take a period of paid paternity leave. Also, men are less likely to leave the office if the child-care centre rings in about a sick child. This means that family-friendly policies that suit working mothers may not always be attractive to working fathers.
It is evident that men as well as women desire to lead balanced lives. Unless work and family policies are tailored to meet the needs of men as well as women, and the workplace culture is accepting of men in their role as fathers, neither male employees nor the employer may benefit fully from work and family programs.
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Suggestions for creating a father-friendly workplace
A broad range of measures might be considered by organisations seeking to create a father-friendly work environment:
Flexible scheduling
The flexible use of time is the single most important element in creating a parent-friendly workplace. Improving work flexibility doesn’t necessarily mean working less, but providing parents with more control over when and where they get the work done.
Communication
Organisations should explain to all employees that family-friendly policies apply to working fathers and are not ‘for women only’. Email, Internet connections, and in-house parenting forums can be used to support male workers in their roles as fathers. While working mothers tend to be good at establishing their own networks, working fathers may need some encouragement to start using available policies and to talk about any conflicting demands.
Supporting fathers from the top
Active support by senior organisational leadership for father-friendly programmes is crucial to changing workplace culture. Senior managers should act as role models by using family-friendly measures themselves.
Committing to all workers
Men at all levels of the organisation, not just managerial staff, should be encouraged to access family-friendly policies. This is particularly the case for workplaces with a diverse occupational mix.
Rewarding performance, not face time
Managers should value the output of workers rather than the number of hours they spend at work. While most managers agree with this principle, it is often a challenge to ensure the principle operates in practice.
Offering workplace education and support for fathers
Face-to-face seminars are often an effective first step to helping working fathers realise most of their colleagues are experiencing similar work/life imbalances.
Supporting fathers who need to stay home when a child is ill
Many employees are part of dual-career families where both parents are expected to share the care for sick children. Making fathers feel comfortable about taking time off for this reason can help relieve the stress and guilt they commonly feel when their spouse has to repeatedly take time off.
Introducing paid paternity leave
Unpaid paternity leave is often not taken by men. Research shows that men are more likely to take leave if it is paid. Paid paternity leave can play a part in a father-friendly workplace, but is only relevant for working fathers a few times in their careers. Paid paternity leave by itself does not make a workplace family-friendly.
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Examples of entitlements in certified agreements in male-dominated companies Family Responsibilities
United Water Employees' Certified Agreement 2004: The parties to this Agreement are committed to facilitating family friendly working conditions where consistent with the needs of both the individual and the business.
All employees have job security and flexibility of employment. United Water is committed to provide family friendly provisions for all employees particularly those employees with family responsibilities. General family friendly provisions include restrictions on excessive hours of work, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and study assistance.
Employees with family responsibilities are also eligible to apply for:
- 48/52 arrangement (ie a "purchase leave" scheme)
- part time work
- job share
- work from home
- paid Maternity Leave of 12 weeks with an unpaid period of forty 40 weeks
- paid Paternity Leave of 1 week for the first child, and 2 weeks for the second and any subsequent children
- Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave - up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave
- paid dependent care if attending out of hours meetings or training
- additional leave facilities for nursing mothers.
Rail Infrastructure Corporation Enterprise Agreement 2002 - Moving Forward: The parties agree that the employer or its employees may negotiate and reach agreement at a workplace level on more flexible employment arrangements that will better meet the operational needs of the workplace having regard to the needs of the employees (including taking into account employee's family and other non-work responsibilities).
Hudson Benalla Enterprise Agreement: In addition to the award flexibility in relation to carers leave, in order to assist workers with family responsibilities, the parties agree to the following leave provisions.
An employee may elect, with the consent of the employer, to take unpaid leave for occasions where family responsibilities require the employee to be absent from work if the provisions in this clause are exhausted. The employer will not unreasonably withhold such consent.
The ECC will discuss appropriate flexibilities in working hours and leave arrangements to assist workers with family responsibilities. Examples may include part-time work, job sharing, or a shorter working week.
Unpaid Family/Carer’s Leave
Orica Explosives Queensland Coal Certified Agreement 2002: Employees may, with the consent of the Company, take:
a) unpaid leave for the purpose of providing care to a family member whom is ill;
b) annual leave for the purpose of providing care to a family member whom is ill;
Single Day’s Leave
SSL Asset Services (Maintenance) Enterprise Agreement 2002: an employee may elect, with the consent of the Company, to take annual leave in single day periods not exceeding a total of five (5) days in any calendar year at a time or times agreed between them.
All purpose paid leave
Capricorn Coal (Management) pty Ltd (CCM) Middlemount Maintenance Certified Agreement 2002: Paid personal leave is available to an Employee when he or she is absent due to:
* Personal illness or injury (sick leave); or
* For the purposes of caring for an immediate family or household member that is sick and requires the Employee's care and support (carer's leave); or
* Because of bereavement on the death of an immediate family or household member (bereavement leave).
The amount of personal leave to which an Employee is entitled depends on how long he or she has worked for the organisation.
Make-up time
Tyco Asia Pacific Pty Ltd t/a Butterworth Electrical and O'Donnell Griffin Electrical Enterprise Agreement 2003-2005 : An employee may, elect with the consent of the management, to work "make up time", whereby the employee may have time off during ordinary hours and work those hours at a later time, at ordinary rates.
An employee may also, by mutual agreement, work more than the agreed hours of ordinary time within the spread of ordinary time hours provided by the Award and accrue this time to be taken at a mutual acceptable period.
Accrued time taken as time off during ordinary time hours shall be taken at the ordinary time rate, that is, one hour for each hour worked.
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