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Swedish Daddies

In: Business and Management

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Case 9.5: Swedish Daddies
Heslin Cyrus
Strayer University
Dr. Jean-Francois Orsini
February 28, 2015

The balance that I currently seek between career and family life is very little these days. There was a time in my life when there was a struggle between the two, but now my children are young adults, one is on his own and the other now in her second year of college. This does not mean that they are not as important as they were when they were younger, but only that they are more self-sufficient and I am not needed as much. We all have to turn let the “apron string” go at some point in their lives so that they may experience life on their own. Looking back over the years, there were times when I desperately wanted to attend several football games that my son participated in, but was unable to because of my pursuit of a higher level position in the company. Then there were all the cheerleader competitions across the state that I missed because of career status. As work would have it, choices had to be made when it came to sitting in the stands cheering on my kids, or climbing the corporate ladder to success so that I could have the time needed to spend with them. Well, time rolled by and I continued to climb at the expense of the needs of my children. We survived. In my current position I am faced with making those pivotal decisions for those under me and I must admit, the task is somewhat difficult, however I must consider the “needs of the business” and not the personal needs of the individuals requesting time off for special events in their son or daughters life regarding athletic events, homecoming, proms, and even graduations. As it stands, I was once in the same position so understanding of the importance is there, but the final decision is not always the one anyone wants to hear. Is corporate America conducive to the type of work and family arrangement that would suit me? In my opinion, the answer today would be yes, it can be.
Depending on what company you are working for in corporate America, work and family arrangements are more prevalent today than they were ten years ago. Corporate America offers many of its workforces the ability to be flexible with their work schedules allowing the opportunity to attend those special events that are important to their family life without disrupting their business life. In the past that was unheard of. Strategies for meeting the needs of parents not only affect existing parents, but could also affect expectant parents. These strategies could serve as the difference in whether or not an expectant employee would return to work after giving birth. Depending on the process, there is the likelihood that the employee will remain a loyal, productive part of the team upon their return. Often women fail to return to their jobs after having children because they do not receive support from their employers, meaning the employer is unwilling to aid in their transition of parenting and career responsibilities. Most companies with 50 or more employees have the benefit of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which provides up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave for medical reasons or maternity leave. FMLA is good; however companies might consider offering paid parental level instead. As it stands, FMLA only guarantees a job will be available upon the return of the employee, it does not offer pay during the time away. One method in which the company can assist is by possibly allowing the mother to combine sick days, vacation days, and a short paid maternity leave. Doing so would allow the mother to recover and care for her new baby without forfeiting her pay. At the same time, new fathers may wish to take time off when a child is born also. They may want to work more flexible hours after becoming a father as well. Any changes in the company should not be limited to mothers, but fathers should be considered also. Some employers may have a legal obligation to provide the same amount of leave to new fathers as they do to new mothers.
In reality, companies are not obligated to give employees the flexibility to work out the particular balance of career and family that is right for them, however providing a supportive environment for employees through all their life stages will likely allow the company to be rewarded with dedicated and motivated employees in the future. The company needs to realize its benefits by providing support to current employees and possibly enticing new employees through its benefits system. There are several ways in which the company can be supportive to its employees. The company may wish to offer the employee the option of reducing her hours, adopting a flexible schedule, job-sharing, or telecommuting. After actually returning to work, a new mother may find she needs more or less flexibility than she originally anticipated and may want to revisit these ideas. Another idea that could be considered might be an on-site daycare.
Many companies are not large enough for an on-site daycare, but instead of having nothing they could consider a possible contract with a backup care provider that specializes in assisting parents in finding emergency care for their children when their normal arrangements fail or a child is sick. For example, in Tampa one of the major hospitals has a pediatric wing set up where parents can take their sick children during their normal work hours and services are provided for a small fee which prevents parents from missing work. Another thing that might be considered is a private place for mothers that are nursing. It is not very private in the ladies restroom trying to pump with women coming in and out of the restroom. Some women may be offended by the act, while others could care less about the situation. A sanitary refrigerator would also be needed to safely store the milk with interruption from others.
No doubt it will be a big transition leaving a newborn at an important time in their lives, but even a temporary change in work schedule or location can ease the transition back to work for a new mother - or help in her decision about whether to stay home or on the job. It is believed that every mother would love to stay home and protect their child from the outside world at such a young age; however the reality is that many mothers cannot afford to stay home because bills have to be paid. Without an income, it is very difficult to raise a newborn. This is where paid maternity and paternity leave can come into play.
In my opinion, paid maternity leave is a benefit that should be required by all companies, large and small. Mothers need the time off deemed necessary for the healing process, as well as bonding time with their new baby. Just because a baby is born does not mean the bills stop coming in; they will continue. Without the benefit of income during this time, new mothers are faced with the struggle of making ends meet and caring for a new baby. This can lead to unnecessary stress for both the mother and child. In the event the company does not have the appropriate budget to handle maternity leave, it is my belief that the United States government should step in with some form of relief set aside for these companies for this purpose. If we are a country that can lend a hand to other countries, there should no reason why we cannot help our own, after all these babies could be future leaders in our country. Lending a hand will allow mothers to rejoin the workforce healthy and ready to work without having to travel back and forth to various doctors due to health issues. In regards to paternity leave and companies being required to offer that benefit to new fathers, it is my belief that fatherhood is just as important as motherhood. Fathers need the time to bond with their newborns and should be able to handle most of the responsibilities that mothers handle on a daily basis. This would allow some relief to the mother if the father is allowed the time needed during the healing process. Mom and dad can share the duties of new parenthood together without placing all the responsibility on the mom. As a result, the government or the company has contributed to a happy home and a happy family.
In conclusion, there are many ways to balance careers and family life today that were not readily available in the past or at least no one was bold enough to try any of the methods used today. In today’s society and as a way to maintain loyal employees, companies offer flexible scheduling, job sharing, work-at-home, and part-time hours to those who would like to work in that manner. These methods of schedule not only help the companies to maintain loyal employees, but it helps to gain interest in potential employees and soon-to-be mothers currently in their employment. Job sharing seems to work best when two people are working on the same project. One of the employees can do his or her part of the project during the first half of the eight hour shift while the other comes in and does the second part of the project during the last half of the eight hour shift. This could be beneficial for a new mom working on a special project and only responsible for a certain part. My favorite of all the methods used today is the work-at-home job. It benefits the parent, as well as the company. The parent has the opportunity to continue a regular work day in the presence of their own home without worrying about dropping the baby off at the sitter or daycare. There is a savings on gas, child care, and best of all clothing for work. Working from home means he or she gets to sleep in and not be bothered with rush-hour traffic, parking, or money for lunch. They have the opportunity to work in the peace and quiet of their own home, have breakfast or lunch while working, and the car is parked in the driveway or garage. With today’s way of working, many new mothers have an opportunity to have a career and manage family life at the same time. There is less stress about starting a family when you have a career when methods of doing so are readily available to you. Now the smaller companies may not have the means to offer work-at-home positions, but if that is not available there is always the opportunity to work a more flexible shift that works better for the individual. If companies work told resolutions for those individuals wishing to return to work after giving birth, it is quite possible they will return, making it more feasible for the company by reducing training cost and the risk of a high turn-over rate. Who knows, anything is possible! Companies are not obligated, but it is in their best interest to aid in any way possible in order to maintain loyal, dedicated employees.

References
Shaw, William H. (2014). The Workplace (2): Today’s Challenges. Business Ethics (8th ed.) Case 9.5: Swedish Daddies pp. 351-352. Boston. Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Print.

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