Executive Dads Say Being a Father Makes them Better Professionals
TheLadders.com Survey Reveals that Tech Savvy Dads Stay More Connected to Their Families
NEW YORK (June 16, 2006) - Fatherhood, usually associated with home life, turns out to be a valued asset in the workplace for executives, according to a national survey conducted by TheLadders.com, the world's leading online service for $100k+ jobs. The company's annual "Fatherhood In the Workplace" survey found that 79% of executive dads say being a father actually makes them a better professional.
TheLadders.com survey reveals that busy executives who rely on technology to communicate in the workplace also use it to stay connected to their families. Eighty-seven percent of "Digital Dads" use technology, such as cell phones, PDAs and email to contact their children throughout the business day. According to the survey, the top ranked method that Digital Dads use to communicate with their kids is the cell phone (77%), followed by email (56%), text messaging (30%), and sending instant messages (12%).
"Professional dads recognize that technology saves them time. Any 'time found' is a blessing when you're balancing work and family life. This is especially true when it comes to job searching," said Marc Cenedella, President & CEO, TheLadders.com. "Executives are looking for a way to streamline the process, and TheLadders.com does just that. By pre-screening thousands of $100k+ job postings and listing only the best senior-level positions on our site, dads can quickly target the right jobs and spend less time on work, and more time on family."
Today's executive dads are better able to balance successful careers and family life than a generation ago. Sixty-six percent of today's fathers reported that they spend more time with their children than their own fathers spent with them. However, workplace pressures still impact quality time with loved ones, with 72% of fathers reporting that they often have to sacrifice family time for work-related issues. Some fathers have even reported mixing work and family time, with 31% of executives stating they have taken their children along on business trips.
Even when children are out of sight they are rarely out of mind. Only 14% of respondents had no reminders of their children in the office, while over 75% of dads kept some type of memento of their children at work. Over 68% of dads have their children's photos on their desks, while 46% have artwork their children created in the office. Forty percent of executive dads saved a photo of their family onto the computer as wallpaper or screen savers and 24% kept a photo of their children on their cell phone or PDA.
TheLadders.com survey took place between June 1 and June 5, 2006 and the key findings have a statistical margin of error of +/- 3%.