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To celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday in the UK and US, our working dads from Capital on Tap share their experiences of their paternity leave, and balancing work with being a dad.
Balancing parenthood and professionalism
Tom Gallacher, a Senior Talent Partner at Capital on Tap, tells us of his experience being a working dad; “I have two kids, one in primary school and one in nursery, and my wife also works full-time. Capital on Tap has complete trust in me to juggle the responsibilities of being a parent and doing my job which takes a lot of the stress and worry away.”
Capital on Tap’s hybrid working has also allowed Tom to be at home and have the flexibility he needs to do drop-offs and pick-ups. Tom says “it also means I’m ‘home’ earlier than I would be if I was in the office everyday, so I get to spend more time with my kids which is invaluable!”
As childcare costs continue to rise, Tom tells us how Capital on Tap’s Workplace Nursery Benefit Scheme helps him and other parents with the cost of nursery fees. Tom says this saves him “a considerable amount of money on nursery fees each month.”
Tom and his daughter
The demands of being a dad with a full-time job can be overwhelming. From the moment Tom gets up, to the moment he goes to bed, every single minute is accounted for. To ensure he’s ready for the work day, the first part of Tom’s day is dedicated to setting up his to-do list, putting in some focus time for specific tasks because “at the end of each day you can see what you've done, and it sets you up for the next day.” To enable that focus, Tom emphasises that “it's important to give yourself some time and headspace, so I exercise every morning and at lunchtimes in the week when there's no kids around! I also go out for a walk and listen to a podcast, spend time with my colleagues, or have a wander around Shoreditch where our London office is and see what food or treats I can find...there's a lot of places to try!”
Despite the challenges of parenting, Tom enthusiastically tells us how being a working dad allows him “to be the best role model I can be and showing my kids that you do need to work hard, but you get the reward for that in the end.” Tom’s eldest daughter, who's 7 years old, really wanted a pet rabbit. Tom told us how, after seeing the example set by her working parents, “she knocked on all of our neighbours’ doors with a list of jobs she was willing to help them with for some money. She earnt enough for two rabbits, and one of the neighbours even built her a rabbit hutch - she was so happy about it!”
Capital on Tap's UK Paternity Leave
We know just how important family time and flexibility is to new parents, so our Parental Leave policies offer just that.
The statutory paternity leave in the UK is two weeks, but at Capital on Tap, we’ve doubled it to four fully paid weeks.
Jerome, one of our Sales Development Representatives, has recently welcomed his first baby, Seb, into the world and spent precious time with his son and partner whilst on paternity leave.
"The paternity leave at capital on tap is very flexible, which has worked perfectly for me.” Jerome told us. “You never quite know how your partner's labour is going to go, and becoming a first time dad is so life changing. With the paternity leave being so flexible, it’s allowed me to adapt to my new and exciting life and be there for my family."
(Jerome and Seb)
Our policy is designed so that our employees with parental responsibilities can take two weeks of paternity leave in one block shortly after the baby’s birth. Then, the remaining two weeks can be split in a way that works for them! Either, taking the full four weeks in one block within 8 weeks of the baby’s birth, or splitting the weeks up by taking two weeks shortly after the birth, and save the remaining time off for a later date. Time with your new baby is precious, so we want our employees to be able to choose when this time works for them!
Paternity and new parental leave entitlement
We know families come in all shapes and sizes, and at the heart of each one is a new baby to love. So, any Capital on Tap employee with parental responsibilities is entitled to take new parent leave using maternity, paternity, adoption, or surrogacy leave to spend time with their child.
What are parental responsibilities?
- You’re the child’s biological parent (whether or not you are living with the child)
- You’re the child’s non biological parent and in an established relationship with the mother / individual who gives birth
- You’re the child’s adoptive parent and will have legal parental responsibility for the child; this includes surrogacy arrangements
We’re proud to support our working dads in any way we can on Father’s Day, and everyday. Apply today and be a part of Capital on Tap’s inclusive team.
