A THIRD OF IRISH MEN WORRY ABOUT BALANCING WORK AND HOME

With 60% of men paying up to €1,500 per month on childcare, 61% believe that it is better and more cost effective for one parent to be at home to raise children and a third would consider job sharing in order to do this and to portion domestic responsibilities more evenly.
This is according to Irish recruitment agency, Osborne who recently commissioned a survey among men age 20 – 60 to find out what issues affect them at work.

Management mentoring, opportunities for promotion and reaching targets were the most important triggers for work satisfaction according to the survey while salary levels (40%), stress (37%), and the ability to maintain a work / life / home balance cause the most issues.

Sixty six per cent of Irish men turn to a partner to offload their concerns and a third regularly worry about balancing work and home.

In September 2016, Ireland joined 23 other EU member states by offering fathers two weeks’ paid paternity leave. A new study commissioned by Osborne has unveiled that since this positive move by the Government, a number of companies have introduced more flexible parental leave solutions for working fathers.

Sixty per cent stated that their workplace is flexible when it comes to taking time off or leaving early to resolve childcare issues. Over a third said that a flexible working environment is essential for their family in order to help when their children are sick and to attend parent teacher meetings or children’s dental or doctor appointments.

Although family dynamics are changing, 43% surveyed by Osborne said that their partner is the sole childminder at home and in 78% of cases, they were the main bread winner in their family and worked over 40 hours per week.

With 60% paying up to €1,500 per month on childcare, 61% believe that it is better and more cost effective for one parent to be at home to raise children and a third would consider job sharing in order to do this and to portion domestic responsibilities more evenly.

Commenting on the results, Director of Commercial Development, David Walsh said, “There is a different expectation across society now to 20 years ago and it’s a very positive shift. It is great to see that men are taking work life balance more seriously. With technology making work so accessible, it is important for us all to have personal time to recharge. This can lead to a more energised, productive work environment and a truly diverse and inclusive company culture.”

He added, “It’s also encouraging to see the percentage of men wanting and willing to share childcare responsibility and for employers to respect and facilitate this.”

Source: www.businessworld.ie