Dads want a new way of working too

It’s all change at home as well as the work place 

A survey on Australian Men's Health Forum says, strikingly, that just three per cent of working dads want to go back to the old ways of doing things once the Covid fallout settles. Of course everyone has their own opinion – but perhaps we have finally seen the great leveler when it comes to ‘work life balance’. 

It is, without question, a line in the sand.  

Now that many people have seen another side to life, 60 per cent of fathers want to embrace flexible working more permanently the survey reveals too. That’s a whole new way of living. 

A new white paper - Creating The New Experience Of Work - from RedBalloon for Business says it’s not just how we work that’s changed but, crucially, how we think about work. About a quarter of us are still scared of returning to the office the paper reveals. A rethink is indeed in order. 

Let’s take the dads first. 

We’ve had of course, in more benign times, the Hollywood take on how to be a better dad. Scrub out Robin William’s preening and prosthetics and Mrs Doubtfire satirised how society sees the working father and accompanying mental health issues. 

Daddy Day Care - with Eddie Murphy the lost man in a new world - was more lightweight yet it was still about the deeply unorthodox, men setting up as nannies. Good film though and it made the point that we should always be open to change. 

But 2020 is the real game changer, this three per cent figure is too startling to ignore. Dads want home life clearly, but how? 

#WFH has led to fathers becoming more involved in home says the health forum. “It sparked a desire to continue being involved moving forward. It hit (them) at a deeper level.” 

This is a whole life change not just a work life balance recalibration.  

More than half of working dads are finding it tough to deal with mental issues around being more than a wage earner the survey says. Fair enough but being homebound with young children and a career on hold has not always been a winner. We are rethinking where we spend our time and energy. But whilst home life may be the winner, career progression and connection to colleagues is equally important.   

Now that employees have experienced new ways of working it is inconceivable, we will work as before and with so many people working flexibly at the same time, we are deep in new waters. 

Yet while 2020 has ushered in change through necessity this is not some utopian idyll where money doesn’t matter. Most of us still need to work and for all sorts of reasons - community, belonging, sharing, uplift. 

But how? The traditional office seems ever more unappealing yet if a business is to be productive it needs its people to be available when it wants them. Surely? Rationing staff out over some 24/7 roster won’t always cut it. 

The crux is that we still have the same number of hours, but people want to use them differently, swapping commuting time for parenting, fitness, self-development. Values are moving from corporate ambition to self-development and a more transcendental state. That’s a serious shift. 

In the White Paper we explore the role of technology, innovation and connection. As well as how teams can and will come together for collaboration.  With jobs being able to be done anywhere (and during different hours) then that too opens up a completely new talent pool for businesses. 

There is much to consider, leaders need to be intentional – and whilst Dads (and parents) have a found a new life balance. The experience of work is different for different people. This is not a one size fits all approach the research tells us in the white paper. 

We know that some businesses have found the people are not wanting to come back to the office. And cultural and social capital could evaporate. It will be a fine dance between personal, professional and productivity needs. 

There is a lot we all need to talk about. Download your copy here

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About Naomi Simson

Naomi Simson entrepreneur founded RedBalloon in 2001. She has been blogging for a decade at NaomiSimson.com, is a professional speaker, author of Live What You Love & Ready To Soar, and a “Shark” on business reality show Shark Tank Australia.

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