On Thursday, May 27, 2021, Fatherly’s founder, Mike Rothman, testified before the House Ways & Means Committee on the importance of, and urgency for Congress to pass, family and sick leave.
As a company, Fatherly was born out of a recognition that fathers were underserved in traditional media and underrepresented in their changing role as caregivers and, at times, first-time parents.
A father’s job is to empower men to raise great children and lead fulfilling lives. We do this, primarily, through journalism, providing dads with expert-driven resources on everything from public policy to development processes to how to talk to teachers to the best games for kids and how to properly divide labor into relationships.
To that end, defending gender-neutral, inclusive, federally paid family and medical leave has been part of the organizing campaign since almost day one. From in-depth interviews to investigative reports and our Best Places to Work guides, Fatherly focuses on paid leave — and the great importance of it to fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, and siblings. It was one of the ways to consolidate our public policy.
Because of this focus on paid leave and his experience running a small business, Mike Rothman will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on the importance and need to pass a federal paid leave program in the United States.
Why are you pushing for paid leave? First, almost every developed and wealthy country in the world has some form of paid leave ranging from 2 to 21 months. In fact, the United States stands alone in how little it provides to working parents, and how much it expects from them in return.
Here are five more reasons we testify.
- Because paid leave is good for companies, and it’s good for us. A number of studies have found that paid family and medical leave reduces employee turnover, has no negative, or even positive, effect on productivity, and increases or has no negative effect on company morale. Before we instituted our paid leave policies, Fatherly missed out on good, mid-career talent who went elsewhere for the benefits they said they would receive — hurting our growth in the process. 90 percent of California businesses under the state’s paid leave program say the program increases employee productivity, and 99 percent of companies surveyed say the program has a positive, or neutral, effect on employee morale, according to the National Partnership for Working Families.
- Because paid leave is good for employees, and for work. Studies have found, time and time again, that access to paid leave increases relationship happiness, bonds parents, reduces stress, and leads to better health outcomes. It reduces burnout. All of these things are good for the employees, but they are also good for the companies the people work for. In the many studies Richard J. Petts has done on the subject, he found that fatherhood and parental leave lead to happier marriages, a lower risk of divorce, and stronger bonds with children.
- Because it’s one thing for Dad to report on the importance of paid leave; but importantly, we are strong advocates in the company for it. While Dad’s editorial has long focused on the importance of paid leave, it took time before we started advocating for, and pushing for, gender neutral, open paid parental leave within the company. We now offer four months of gender-neutral parental leave, a premium paid leave offering, similar to that found at places like Deloitte, a large international company. The Department of Labor reports that only 15 percent of companies with 99 or fewer employees have access to paid leave, far fewer people than those who work at large companies. The government’s paid leave program shouldn’t be something you only get if you work for a large company.
- Because giving paid leave is good. But that is only one part of the battle. It is not enough to give paid leave and not show it again. Research from people like Dr. Jennifer Berdahl has shown that a toxic work culture, and a work culture that values ​​long hours, after-work responsibilities, and unlimited work time devalues ​​parents and makes it difficult for them to feel empowered to take the leave they are offered with company benefits. Fatherly fosters a family-first company culture where management openly embraces and encourages employees to embrace, a comprehensive framework of benefits offered to them. Flexibility must be modeled in order to actually exist.
Ultimately, the fight for paid leave won’t stop at good companies doing the right thing. Because once that happens, only those with wages and full-time jobs will be able to access the important benefit that is offered globally, and access to this important benefit will make workers dependent on what they do.
Paid parental leave will be a big step forward for workers, employers, and families in the United States. Time.
This article was originally published
