Benefits June 12, 2007

Working Dads Snub Paternity Leave Benefit

June 12, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Nearly 60% of working dads say they wouldn't take paternity leave if their employer offered it, with the top reason for that being because they couldn't afford to take off, according to results of a recent survey by Adecco USA.
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The survey of about 220 adult men found that nearly half (46%) of working dads said they would not take paternity leave because they couldn’t afford it, even if they were offered partial salary.

The second most cited reason for not taking the leave was fear it would harm their careers (31%), followed by being too busy at work to be away for an extended period of time off (28%), and being depended on too much by co-workers and clients (28%).

Some dads who wouldn’t take paternity leave said they don’t think they’d do a good job caring for the baby (12%) or that they don’t have the patience to spend that much time with the baby (8%), according to the survey.

About one-quarter of working dads said they usually dedicate more time to their work life, while 11% of working moms claimed the same.

Nearly 30% of dads said they struggle with striking a balance between life and work, and 72% percent of dads named the ability to work flexible hours as one of the most appealing benefits.

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