In light of the recent Father’s Day celebration we decided to dive into a topic that is seldom talked about. How fatherhood shapes relationships in organizations which often goes overlooked for many people across the globe. During the pandemic we have experienced so many changes economically, politically, socially and financially that the lines between our personal and professional lives have forever changed. While traditionally we have only celebrated these occasions with our immediate families within the comfort of our homes, the integration of virtual meetings has made these two worlds intersect. With kids running around in the background during meetings, babies crying while we are on client calls, family members politely interrupting while working diligently in our office space, we are all familiar with the constant disruptions to our daily work flow.
Work Families:
We often forget that many business leaders also play a role with guidance, support and professional development for teams and employees. Our work environment can be a home away from home for many people and shape how we perform, what projects we work on and our vision for the future. There are times where young employees look up to Senior Executives with admiration and need extra support to help them make decisions. A ‘work-Mom’ or ‘work-Dad’ are widely used terms that we hear many people use, depending on the internal culture and what is acceptable at a company. It’s not uncommon for these relationships to exist given the time we spend together working on the same goal, developing a roadmap to an end destination, much like a real family unit. When there is bereavement leave for employees for example, co-workers may come back to work with a need to find more moral support, extending themselves deeper into professional relationships, developing deeper bonds and sharing struggles.
Post-pandemic it will be important to make these new ways of engagement in the workplace normalized as a way to heal from the global impact and implications of COVID-19. We will require more supportive and caring managers, co-workers, colleagues and CEOs to pave the way for healthier and brighter tomorrows. Father’s Day may not be something your company wants to openly celebrate in the office, but the act of guidance or leadership within any structure is often viewed as a subtle and informal art of parenting. Grooming employees from junior to senior roles takes an intuitive approach, compassionate care and modelling for others to adopt.
This Father’s Day it is important to honor the leaders in the world that may not know how far-reaching their impact is in their workplaces but are invaluable and impressionable.