Working Dads Make Time for Family"Work-life balance" has been a concern for working moms for decades. But what about dads? Do working dads have similar concerns about quality time with the kids? Tag and Catherine Goulet, FabJob.com |
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Nearly half (47%) of working dads said they spend fewer than three hours a day with their children during the work week, while 26% said they have missed more than three significant events in their child’s life in the last year due to work.
Long working hours are a problem for many fathers. A quarter of dads reported working more than 50 hours a week, while more than one in five said they bring work home at least once, if not more, a week.
Many would change this if they could. The survey found over a third of working dads (37%) would gladly take on the role of "Mr. Mom" and leave their job if their spouse’s income could comfortably support the family. The same number said they would be willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children.
Other dads have found creative ways to spend more time with their families.
Chris Yeh is currently a Vice President of PBwiki, Inc., a company whose clients range from AT&T to Wal-Mart. When his children were babies he brought them to his office and was their primary caregiver. "Much of the time I was bottle-feeding infants on my lap while typing away one-handed, and pounding out longer documents during their naps," he says.
For dads who don’t have the option of bringing kids to the office, some bring the office to the kids by starting a home business.
Until a few months ago, Daniel Hallac was Global Head of eBusiness for HSBC Private Bank. He says "like many who work for large multinational corporations, my job was quite demanding: long hours, lack of flexibility, frequent travel, early and late conference calls, etc. I often had to miss school events and came home after the kids were already asleep."
So he left HSBC and launched his own Internet start-up, Kidmondo.com. "Now I set my schedule around my kids," says Daniel. "I can attend all their school functions, birthday parties and doctor visits."
Craig Elias is another "dadpreneur." A few years ago he faced a turning point when a company he started won a million dollar prize in a contest which required him to move to California. Craig left wife Heather in Calgary, where she plays French horn for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, but he commuted to Calgary every few weeks. Months later, Heather got pregnant.
"One of the things I promised myself, and Heather, is that I would not be a successful entrepreneur with a ruined marriage and dysfunctional kids," says Craig. So by the time Heather was six months pregnant, he left everything behind and returned to Calgary "to be a great dad."
He has since started another company, Shift Selling, Inc., so he can be stay at home dad 3.5 days a week with three year old Liam.
Another dad who started his own business is Troy White, who says he "left the safety and security of a downtown Calgary sales job" to start Responsive Direct Marketing Inc. "I did not want to be one of those dads who never saw their kids and missed out on the most important years of their lives."
Today, the father of twin daughters says "I take them to school every morning, I see them right after they get home at 3:00, and I get to volunteer lots with their school as I now have much more flexibility."
"It has been the best thing I have ever done – and is something I recommend to those who have that entrepreneurial spirit itching to come out," Troy adds.
For dads who aren’t self-employed, there are other ways to make time for family.
Ian Wilks is Vice-President of Business Development for CH2M HILL's Transportation Group, a job that results in him spending up to 60% of his work week travelling on business. Here are some ways Ian stays connected with Archie, 6; Cameron, 8; and Madeline, 13:
I spend Saturdays with my family, with my Blackberry turned OFF.
I telework from home once a week. This saves me time and money, reduces my carbon footprint and allows me to have dinner with my family. I usually telework on Mondays when I have conference calls to make.
When travelling on business, I make sure to call and speak to my wife and kids every night. I also text my kids.
I spend one on one time with each of my three kids. When they're interested, I tell them about my work.
We never watch TV when we’re sitting down for dinner. We make a point to always ask about everyone's day when we're having dinner.
I have brought my family into work on family day events so they can see where and how I work. We salute all dads working to support the families they love.
Tag and Catherine Goulet are founders of FabJob.com, a publisher of career guides offering step-by-step advice for breaking into a variety of dream careers. Visit(www.FabJob.com).
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