What does it mean for dads to ‘parent out loud’ at work?
And how does this increase take-up of paternity leave and flexible working?
Well…enhanced paternity leave and other inclusive family friendly policies are essential. They are the foundation. But to support them and ensure take-up of the policies from dads, we need to do the culture change work.
As the saying goes…culture eats strategy for breakfast.
We need to remove the stigma and change the narrative around fatherhood in the workplace. We can do this through inclusive leadership, progressive role models, safe spaces for conversation, line management training, flagship events and inclusive communications.
All this will encourage dads to parent out loud at work. And once they can do this, they’ll be much more likely to take full advantage of the policies available. And then we’ll see all the benefits to gender equity, retention, wellbeing and mental health.
You’ll know dads are parenting out loud when they are:
💡 Joining your parenting network and speaking about their experiences
💡Telling colleagues they can’t make a meeting because of childcare
💡Putting school pick-ups in their diary
💡Including childcare activities on their out of office
💡Proudly requesting flexible working and parental leave
What else would you add?
