Flexible working - does it damage a father's career?

Many British fathers are working long hours, struggling to balance work and family and fear that requesting flexible working will damage their careers, a new report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found.

Some 45 per cent of men fail to take two weeks' paternity leave after the birth of their child with the most common reason provided being because they can't afford to. Two in five men fear that asking for flexible working arrangements would result in their commitment to their job being questioned and would negatively affect their chances of a promotion.

The report also points to an opportunity for employers to gain a competitive advantage in recruitment, as two in three fathers consider the availability of flexible working to be important when looking for a new job.

One approach to balancing work and family commitments outlined in the report is to expand paternity and parental leave schemes. The Commission has previously outlined a series of fully costed policies that would help to meet the needs of businesses and modern families as part of its Working Better Initiative.

It included fathers having:

• two weeks' paternity leave at the birth of their child at 90 per cent pay
• four months of dedicated "parental leave" with at least eight weeks of leave being at 90 per cent pay
• another four months' parental leave - that can be taken by either mother or father - eight weeks of which is taken at 90 per cent pay.

Current statutory paternity leave arrangements are for two weeks paid at a flat rate of up to £123.06 per week.

According to the report, 56 per cent of fathers who took paternity leave said that taking time off around the birth of their child led to them taking a greater role in caring for their children, while 69 per cent said it led to improvements in family life.

Tell us here what you think about fathers' flexible working arrangements.