More and more, men are taking an active role in caring for their kids and our Unilever fathers shared how this change is shifting the way we work. Parents and employees heard tips and advice from three dads at Unilever who have adopted different flexible working options to help juggle work and home life.
After the birth of his child, one father took 6 months leave and then returned to work part time for three months to enable his wife to return to her job sooner. He described this transitionary period as a great way to adjust to a new rhythm of life. With the support from his line manager and Unilever’s flexible working options, he found it easier to go back to full time work and strongly encouraged other fathers to consider the different options they have available.
Jaco Ottink from our Customer Development team took a career break to not only look after the kids, but also pursue his own mountaineering dreams and support his wife to continue her career as VP Human Resources at Unilever. He described reactions to him being a full-time father ‘initially a mix of surprise and intrigue but overall really positive’. He has also seen firsthand how caregiving responsibilities are slowly changing for the better with more and more fathers at the school gate.
The fathers agreed that technology has been critical to enable them to work flexibly. Luke Driver, Customer Business Manager, makes full use of flexi-time to ensure he is at home for the important moments at the end of each day. Being flexible with his working hours and logging on at home when needed, he is able to manage the business needs and not compromise on family time.
These are just some of the great examples of fathers who have made use of Unilever’s Flexible Working Policy. As part of our commitment to build a gender balanced and inclusive organisation, we’re working to challenge stereotypes and unlock greater flexibility for men in the workplace – a critical part of enabling both men and women to manage their career and family ambitions and achieving gender equality in Australia.
We're also helping create a more positive and liberating definition of masculinity through our Dove Men+Care brand and showing that care is sign of strength. Find out more on our Dove Men+Care website.