Compatibility in partnership

How you can support mothers and fathers equally

Text last updated: 2024-02-22

Pulling together: How companies can promote work-life balance in partnership

Many women want to return to work more quickly after the birth of a child. Fathers often feel the need to play a greater role in bringing up their children. For this to work, employers must also play their part. How can you support your employees in balancing work and family life? We have summarized tried-and-tested tips for you.

Many parents want to divide their professional and family responsibilities. It is therefore a logical consequence that more and more men are also taking parental leave. According to a survey by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 482,000 fathers received parental allowance in 2022, 2.1% more than in the previous year. However, they only accounted for around 26.1 percent of parental allowance recipients. This means that women are still taking parental leave much more frequently and for longer periods of time.

As an employer, you can support your employees in sharing care work equally by specifically focusing on fathers in your family-friendly measures. The following aspects are important:

  • Communication
    Which family-friendly measures are actually useful and helpful in order to be able to divide care work well depends entirely on the individual company and employees. Talk to your employees about their wishes and needs. Only through discussion can solutions be found that work well for both sides.
  • Create offers
    The next step, of course, is to implement the agreed measures. This could be greater flexibility in working hours, for example. This does not only mean that part-time solutions are possible. It is also important that these are adapted and that employees can return to full-time work if necessary.
  • Results-oriented leadership
    This management style gives employees flexibility in terms of time, even if they continue to work full-time. Supervisors trust that the agreed performance will be achieved. How this is achieved is the responsibility of the employee. One option, for example, is to look after the children in the afternoon and shift work tasks to the evening hours.
  • Provide information
    The process does not end with the introduction of measures and the choice of management style. Managers often rate their company as more family-friendly than employees do. This may be due to a lack of or inadequate communication of family-friendly offers. Parents may also feel that parental or part-time work has a negative impact on their career opportunities. Actively approach both expectant mothers and expectant fathers about the options available to them in your company and dispel any uncertainties at an early stage.
  • Corporate culture
    It is also important that family friendliness is also practiced in the company. Male managers, but also managers in general, can act as good role models if they themselves take parental leave or work part-time.

Good company examples from practice

Where can we find help and advice?

The portal "Equality in the labor market" (GAPS) offers small and medium-sized companies well-founded and practical information at https://www.perspektiven-schaffen.de/

If you have any questions about equal opportunities and how to implement them in your company, you can also contact the Chamber of Industry and Commerce or Chamber of Crafts as well as labor market-related advice centers and business associations.

Further information Links to read more

The "Future Compatibility" trend report shows what working people who want to have children want from (potential) employers.

Future compatibility

The "SME Equality Check" enables HR managers to systematically check their current working and employment conditions - with recommendations for action for the future. You can download the self-test brochure free of charge:

SME equality check