Celebrating employers who are supporting working dads

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Video from 2022 awards
What are the Working Dads Employer Awards?

The Working Dads Employer Awards were launched in 2022 by Music Football Fatherhood and the Equal Parenting Project. The awards were setup to celebrate and recognise employers that are doing great work to support working dads.
Supporting working dads is integral to helping families thrive, supporting parent’s mental health, closing the gender pay gap, promoting gender equality in the workplace and attracting and retaining top talent in an organisation.
The inaugural launch event, hosted by Andrew Gwynne MP (Chair of the Fatherhood APPG) and Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka, was held in Parliament in May 2022 at an amazing ceremony which was attended by some of the key journalists, campaigners and advocates who are working to improve support for working parents.
The awards include four categories; flexible working, parental leave policies, supporting returning fathers and leadership and culture. 2022 Winners included Aon, John Lewis, Vodafone, Waltham Forest Council and more.
The awards, through the development of case studies, also encourage employers across the UK to think more about what they do in this space and how they can better support fathers and families in the future.
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Why supporting working dads is so important
Supporting working dads and promoting equal parenting is essential to workplace gender equality, increasing women’s representation at senior levels and eradicating the motherhood penalty.
The large disparity in the gender pay gap starts when the first baby is born into a family and for us to address this, we need to support and encourage dads to share the load in the months and years after their baby is born. This can be achieved through good parental leave policies and flexible working. Importantly, this needs to be underpinned and led from the top, with leadership that create and nurture a culture where all fathers are encouraged and supported to be active parents at home.
Supporting working dads is also essential to improving mental health and wellbeing. We know 10% of new dads will suffer from some symptoms of post-natal depression in the first 6 months of becoming a new father and 39% of expectant dads are concerned about their mental health. The opportunity for a father to be at home to bond with their new baby and support their partner is integral to maintaining mental health, wellbeing and relationships. And it’s not just in the first year that fathers need support, research tells us that parents will experience more mental health problems than non-parents.
Supporting working dads also has huge implications for the outcomes for our children. The research shows us that consistent and nurturing paternal involvement results in better outcomes in regards to children’s resilience, education and wellbeing.

The 2022 winners
The Parenting Policies Award
Flexible Working

Aviva
Winner

Suffolk County Council
Winner

John Lewis
Winner

Vodafone
Winner

Nationwide
Winner

Waltham Forest Council
Winner

Now Teach
Winner

Suffolk County Council
Winner

John Lewis
Winner

Suffolk County Council
Winner

Vodafone
Winner

AON
Winner
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Announcing the winners of the Working Dads Employer Awards 2023
The 2nd Working Dad’s Employer Awards will be taking place in June 2023 in Parliament with nominations opening on the 20th March 2023. These Awards are brought to you by the Equal Parenting Project and Music Football Fatherhood, to celebrate the great work nominated organisations are doing in supporting Dads in the workplace.