Fatherhood, Work and Family have been in the news a lot lately. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite content from the past few months.
First, here’s what I’ve been up to:
I reached a deal with Motivational Press for my first book, due out in time for Father’s Day 2015: The Working Dad’s Survival Guide: How to Succeed at Work and at Home!
My article, Flextime Doesn’t Need to be an HR Policy, appeared at Harvard Business Review Online
My article, Want to Help Moms and Kids? Help Dads With Their Work-Family Balance, appeared on Huffington Post Parents
I was one of several dads who answered the question How Dads Balance Work and Family in a recent article on Buzzfeed.
I was profiled in a special Sunday Magazine issue of Chile’s leading newspaper, El Mercurio, devoted to work-family balance (see the picture above). This is Chile’s equivalent to our NYTimes Magazine. The article, which is all in Spanish is entitled, “Scott Behson, Academico Estadounidense: El Papa Tambien Importa“
Now, on to the round-up:
I loved this article in the Atlantic in which a former clerk of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg remembered her words of wisdom when he left his clerkship to be a stay-at-home-dad. Upon re-entering the workforce, he was brave in asserting his commitment to being an involved parent when interviewing at prestigious law firms. This is a really interesting and well-written first-person account that also connects to current research and trends.
Dadvertising- Swiffer Sweeper
This awesome new ad shows a dad comfortable and confident doing housework- he and his wife even joke about how he’s better at cleaning than she is. The ad also hits on all inclusivity factors without making a big deal about it- the dad’s disabled, the family is biracial. Nice to see.
Few New Parents Get Paid Time Off by Ben Casselman and America’s Family Leave Disgrace by Margaret Talbot
The data-crunchers at FiveThirtyEight break down the pathetic state of paid family leave in the US. Only about 12% of US private-sector workers have access to paid leave, and the most likely to have access are richer and are concentrated in a few industries including finance and healthcare. All in all, a sobering set of statistics. Talbot’s article in the New Yorker adds lots of compelling narrative to these statistics. It is sad how far behind the rest of the world we are.
The State of the Union Kicked off Obama’s Push for Paid Parental and Sick Leave by Jillian Weinberger
Building on the themes that emerged from the White House Summit for Working Families (see here for first-hand reports from my participation at this series of events), President Obama made a strong and compelling push for paid sick leave and parental leave. Considering the statistics in the FiveThirtyEight article above, the time seems right for a change. Unfortunately, Washington is broken, so it is far more likely that states and municipalities will lead the way with localized changes, perhaps with some backing from the White House.
Infographic: How to Survive as a New Parent from Life Meets Work
This is so awesome, I’ll let it speak for itself:
The More Time Dads Spend With Their Kids, The Happier They Are at Work by Susan Adams of Forbes
My friends at Boston College’s Center for Work and family have done great work for years on working fathers’ issues. They are soon to release a new study that shows when working fathers who spend more time with their children are likely to have a greater sense of satisfaction on the job, and less of a desire to move to another organization. The clear implication of their findings is that companies will have a more engaged male workforce and greater retention if you offer more liberal paternity leave and increase the availability of flexible work.
100 Top Companies with Remote Jobs in 2015 by Brie Reynolds
Each year, Flexjobs, a leading website for employers and employees seeking remote and telework opportunities, releases its list of 100 companies to watch for in terms of offering good telecommuting and work-from-home opportunities. The list includes firms of all sizes, and includes Dell, Xerox, Amazon, American Express, Aetna, Aon, 3M and the US Interior Department.
The Onion
Finally, when The Onion satirizes something, you know the issue has traction. Here’s two recent Fathers, Work and Family related “stories” from the #1 satirical online newspaper. You can click on the pictures to read the articles in full
What is your favorite recent news item? Have any to share? let’s discuss in the comments section.
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