Parenting Pointers: Paternity Leave - Interview with the Co-Founder of Tomorrow

New parents are dealing with a striking fear - taking time off for my newborn child will jeopardize my career. It's no surprise that father's are especially fearful. The latest findings from Rutgers University, show that men who requested family leave could face consequences, like decreased salary, demotion or even being fired. 

 

Erik Berg, co-founder of Tomorrow, the first mobile app to combine important legal, financial and insurance services into a single, easy-to-use interface, hasn't experienced the stigma of taking paternity leave first hand, but has heard misconceptions like men only use paternity leave to take vacation or that it's not necessary for both parents to be at home.

 

As co-founder of Tomorrow, he is leading the charge in removing the stigma around paternity leave, implementing a 12 week parental leave policy and providing a flexible work schedule for employees. I had a chance to interview him to learn more.

Why is there often a stigma around paternity leave?

There's stigma around paternity leave because we have a culture of competition and comparison, where an employee may feel like his or her's ability to advance may be in jeopardy or challenged if he or she isn’t perceived to be 110% committed. 

What are some things that Tomorrow does to help reduce the stigma?

Tomorrow’s efforts at reducing this stigma start with our leadership and demonstrating a commitment to the values we want our whole company to embrace. When our staff sees us take paternity leave, they know that they can and feel confident in their decision. 

Why are business leaders responsible for encouraging our culture to accept paternity leave?

Business leaders are responsible because company culture starts at the top. If we don’t take responsibility, change won’t happen. When fathers act like fathers, the whole family gets stronger.

How does it benefit families to have strong family leave policies?

Parental leave benefits families because parenting is all about teamwork and nothing will demoralize a team more than one person pulling all the weight. Even if the gender roles conform to traditional ones, paternity leave gives empathy to the father for how hard the mother's job is. I can crush a 12 hour day at the office but tap out after 6 hours watching an infant. My wife’s job is two times harder than mine, so I work hard to make her job easier every chance I can.