The Elusive Father's Day Gift

A new national poll from Workplace Options, a provider of work-life programs and employee benefits, shows a difficult balance between family commitments and professional careers for working dads.

More than two-thirds of working fathers (68%) indicated they have experienced negativity or problems with their current employer due to conflicts between their job and duties as a caregiver–57% reported that it has happened multiple times with this employer. Approximately four out of ten fathers in the workforce (39%) said the demands of their current job detract from their ability to interact with and support children and family.  

According to a press release, nearly half of employed fathers (48%) said they spend less than a quarter of the day (six hours) with their children–compared to 31% of working mothers who reported the same time constraints due to their job.  

The survey found that substantially more fathers reported that they frequently take time off of work to deal with child- and family-related issues than did mothers–56% compared to 40%. 

While 70% of employed fathers considered their current employer to be understanding of their family responsibilities, 43% also reported their current employer could provide more tools, programs or assistance to help them balance their roles at work with those at home.  

The national survey of 459 working Americans was conducted by the North Carolina firm of Public Policy Polling, May 26-29. Full survey results are available at http://www.workplaceoptions.com/pdf/polls/may2011employeesurvey.pdf.