New research from King’s College London suggests more than one in six fathers would quit if forced to work in office full-time, and that working from home in garden offices and other home environments could improve family wellbeing, gender equality, fertility, and staff retention, but only if fathers can use it without stigma or career penalties.
The report, led by King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) based at King’s Business School, finds that fathers increasingly value working from home because it allows them to stay committed to paid work while being more present in family life. Yet the report warns that formal access is not enough. Fathers may be allowed to work from home on paper, but workplace cultures, visibility expectations and assumptions about commitment can still make it difficult to use in practice.
Key findings from the report show:
- around 17% of full-time working fathers who currently work from home say that they would quit if forced back to the office full-time
- fathers want twice as many working-from-home days as their employer currently allows, around 2.10 days preferred versus 1.10 days allowed
- 41% of fathers say they are formally allowed some working from home and 39% of fathers say they actually use it
- workers who work from home are rated less favourably for promotion by managers in the UK, a penalty particularly strong for fathers compared to other groups of workers, especially when it comes to 3-4 days working from home
The report argues that fathers working from home can change how families manage the pressure points of daily life, from commuting and school routines to childcare and household work. It can also help with worker engagement, productivity as well as allowing employers hold on to staff who might otherwise look for roles that fit better with family life.
“Flexible working was never a mothers' issue," said Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and co-author of the report. "It's time we stopped treating it like one. Post-pandemic fathers have discovered something their own fathers never had, the school run, dinner time, the chance to actually be there supporting family well-being and financial stabilities.
“What is more, when men are involved, not only do their ideas of what it means to be a man changes but so do their children’s. A generation is growing up with a different idea of masculinity. Remote work isn't just reshaping offices. It's reshaping families and the future of gender roles.”
Shiyu Yuan, Research Assistant at King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and co-author of the report added: “What employers may have not fully grasped is that working from home is not just nice to have or a cost to be managed, but something must-have and a reason for people to stay. For fathers, it is now a part of the family infrastructures and the coping strategy they rely on to be achieve both their career and family aspirations. Taking it away would disrupt family life, increase stress, and damage the engagement and loyalty of their most experienced staff.
“However, simply providing flexibility is not enough. Without tackling the stigma associated with flexibility, fathers may be fear of using it, or feel forced to use it in ways that protect their image at work while damaging their and their family’s wellbeing.”
Image courtesy Warwick Buildings
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