We are happy to announce our participation in the Dad Challenge – a Finnish campaign with the objective of improving parental leave equality.
You shouldn’t have to choose between your family and having a successful career. This is the core statement that the Dad Challenge is based on. The challenge raises awareness for a very common – yet easily neglected – issue. Furthermore, the Dad Challenge sets out to find concrete ways for balancing work and family.
A cultural change is needed
Even though the main campaign objective is to improve overall equality in the workplace, the Dad Challenge tackles the issue by targeting working dads. Seeing that overall equality is bound to be improved if we can shape attitudes and impact the current culture, in which it often is self-evident that the mom stays home with the children while dad is at work. This also helps keeping the campaign message clear and specific.
According to a research study conducted by Aula Research, as many as 26 % of dads struggles with work and life balance. The number clearly shows that there is some room for improvement. Especially dads with successful careers and high-paying jobs are not expected to prioritise their family on the cost of their work. The result of this is a higher threshold for dads to take paternity leave or even just to stay at home with a sick child for a couple days.
This issue can only be changed by shaping attitudes and by encouraging companies to provide dad-friendlier working environments.
Why we joined the challenge
We joined the Dad Challenge because we believe that employees with a good work and life balance are happier in general and more motivated at work.
“We want to be a part of building a society, in which parental leave equality and a good work-life balance is self-evident – and where there is no campaigns needed” Kristian Valkama, VP, states.
Here at Cloubi the Dad Challenge is embedded in our company culture as well as in daily decision-making. For instance, our management team actively encourages taking parental leave by showing example, and we are always seeking new methods of providing flexible working arrangements for our employees.
