Prognos study on father-friendliness
How father-friendly is the German economy?
Fathers are increasingly coming into focus when it comes to family friendliness. In almost one in five companies, paternity-friendliness has improved in the long term in recent years. A Prognos study has now taken a special look at fathers in personnel policy. It shows that a good work-life balance is particularly important to young fathers. However, in many companies, father-friendly company policies still leave a lot to be desired. This must change if companies want to secure their skilled workforce in the future.
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A better work-life balance is very popular with young fathers
Active fatherhood is the motto of many young fathers. More and more couples are looking for equal solutions to share the job and family responsibilities, as fathers want to be just as close to their children as mothers. It's all about shared responsibility and a fair division of work and family duties. But what sounds good in theory is not always easy to implement in practice. What is the situation in German companies with regard to paternity leave? A study on fathers published in December 2022 provides some insights. For the analysis, around 600 HR managers and management teams were surveyed in the summer of 2022 and compared with the opinions and wishes of 1,000 working fathers with underage children.
These are the most important results of the fatherhood study at a glance
Conclusion from the study results
- The willingness of fathers to change jobs is an underestimated business risk. Around 450,000 fathers have already changed employers in order to achieve a better work-life balance. Around 770,000 fathers often think about it. More than one million working fathers at least sometimes think about changing jobs to improve their work-life balance.
- Companies can increase their attractiveness as an employer and thus strengthen their ability to recruit skilled workers if they actively pursue a father-friendly HR policy.
- In addition to measures that promote reconciliation, a father-friendly HR policy includes a communication strategy specifically geared towards fathers as well as a father-friendly corporate culture.
- Managers play a special role on the path to more father-friendliness. They should take advantage of reconciliation offers themselves and act as a good role model.
- Companies that increase their paternity-friendliness can strengthen their future viability and secure competitive advantages on the labor market.
The Prognos study from December 2022 was commissioned by the "Success Factor Family" corporate program of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Where can we find help and advice?
In the free toolbox on the website of the "ZEITREICH" project, you will find many helpful ideas for agile, flexible and mobile working:
https://projekt-zeitreich.de/toolbox/
The "Erfolgsfaktor Familie" corporate network offers you the opportunity to exchange ideas with other companies and experts. Membership is free of charge and offers lots of practical information and support for implementation in your company.
https://www.erfolgsfaktor-familie.de/erfolgsfaktor-familie/mitmachen-im-netzwerk