Today, many companies have policies and tools to promote the combination of parenthood with work. Mostly concerning practical support. Scandinavian companies are often role models for gender equality and “Work Life Balance”. And in many other parts of the World creative initiatives are developed within the area.
But many have missed the most important assets – a leadership and a culture that sees and shows a positive company value with family life. We must move from seeing parenthood as an obstacle to consider it as a valuable asset. Parenting is so much more than free time with the children. It’s about developing skills that develop modern leadership, it gives perspectives and new angles to the company’s objectives and means, it gives birth to ideas that a full agenda never allow… In the future a father that go to get his child home from kindergarten, or who takes his paternity leave with pride, should be encouraged by his manager and colleagues. The mother who combines leadership and parenting should be a role model and parental leave should be seen as skills development.