Coaching for dads' advice on getting a work life balance correct

Fathers struggling with their work and home life balance can get advice from website  Coaching for Dads, a support resource for dads and dads-to-be.

Founder Lisa Wynn set up CoachingForDads after realising the pressure so many dads suffered and decided to create a space for them to help achieve their aspirations.

Lisa says:  “Having worked with a great many dads in my work as an Executive Coach, I am constantly struck by the pressure that so many – most – of them are under. The pressure they feel to deliver on their objectives at work is often nothing compared to the pressure they feel from home – and from themselves.”

It seems that dads needs support now more than ever. A  report just published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), found that dads felt they did not spend enough time with their children and that to request more flexible working hours would harm their job prospects.

Lisa has some advice for them. She says: “As the report shows almost half of the fathers questioned did not take their paternity leave, with the main reason being they could simply not afford to. In my experience this is a problem between many couples, they do not sufficiently plan financially for the arrival of a new baby which can cause problems in the long run. Fathers are the ones that end up missing out, as they are capable of going back to work immediately and end up forfeiting precious time with their newborn to continue being the bread winner. Communicating together as a couple before the birth and creating a financial plan can really help in ensuring fathers take the leave they deserve.

“It may also be that fathers feel that they will be looked upon unfavourably at work or forfeit their promotion if they take the paternity leave, especially in the current economic climate. However I think that employers can actually benefit from making the legislation work for them. By asking employees when they would like to take their leave and encouraging them to do so, will make new fathers feel happier which in turn will increase attention and productivity in the workplace. With the old ‘job for life’ now firmly in the past, employee loyalty should be top of an employer’s agenda. Encouraging fathers to take their paternity leave and promoting it in a positive light is a great way to retain talented employees and build the employer brand.

“Fathers in the 21st century are expected to be so much more than ‘breadwinners’ and in my experience they take these expectations very much to heart. They want to be successful at work, great dads and good partners and somewhere under all of that pressure they get a little lost. A happy healthy dad makes for happy healthy children, and support to achieve this is vital.”

For more information, visit:  www.coachingfordads.com