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This should be the norm in all of the developed world! As a freelancer I took a self-funded three-month break (it just finished) when our third child was born a

This should be the norm in all of the developed world! As a freelancer I took a self-funded three-month break (it just finished) when our third child was born and it has been amazing. I wish that I'd been in a position to do the same for my other two children too. Firstly, we're trying hard to close the gender pay gap. Giving fathers the same amount of free time as the mothers goes a long way here. Secondly, it's fantastic for the father-baby bond and it makes both life and work as a young parent so much easier. Thirdly, the cost is not large. Businesses are already absorbing the lost productivity caused by the fathers being exhausted. This formalizes it.

carierx1 7y ago
Excellent point. I've noticed significant cognitive performance drop in new dads as the tremendous stress of your first child drains you. Its important for businesses to incorporate this reality into their planning.
gylterud 7y ago
> Thirdly, the cost is not large. Businesses are already absorbing the lost productivity caused by the fathers being exhausted. This formalizes it. Exactly! And in both Norway and Sweden you can be part time on leave. For some time I had 25% leave, which meant that I was working, but could go early when tired from a long night of baby cries or stay at home one day when my wife needed to get something else done. And this time I will be on 80–90% leave, which means I am at home, but can pass by the office once a week to catch up with my students.
- radicalbyte 7y ago
  That 90% is ideal! My wife owns a business with > 100 employees, that's basically what she did during her pregnancy leave. Having me home made that possible (or at least easier, she's breastfeeding.. and that takes a crazy effort to get going).
Lev1a 7y ago
> Thirdly, the cost is not large. Businesses are already absorbing the lost productivity caused by the fathers being exhausted. This formalizes it. In our project management course we learned a rule of thumb that for new parents you have ~25-30% less FTE available during the first year of the child's life (due to care for sick children, getting sick themselves, being exhausted from lack of sleep etc.)
- sneak 7y ago
  This seems like a sound argument for avoiding hiring people who might become parents soon. 30% less output for the same amount of pay seems like a bad deal for an employer.
  - raydev 7y ago
    The employer will be fine with 30% reduced output.

carierx1 7y ago

Excellent point. I've noticed significant cognitive performance drop in new dads as the tremendous stress of your first child drains you. Its important for businesses to incorporate this reality into their planning.

gylterud 7y ago

> Thirdly, the cost is not large. Businesses are already absorbing the lost productivity caused by the fathers being exhausted. This formalizes it. Exactly! And in both Norway and Sweden you can be part time on leave. For some time I had 25% leave, which meant that I was working, but could go early when tired from a long night of baby cries or stay at home one day when my wife needed to get something else done. And this time I will be on 80–90% leave, which means I am at home, but can pass by the office once a week to catch up with my students.

radicalbyte 7y ago
That 90% is ideal! My wife owns a business with > 100 employees, that's basically what she did during her pregnancy leave. Having me home made that possible (or at least easier, she's breastfeeding.. and that takes a crazy effort to get going).

Lev1a 7y ago

> Thirdly, the cost is not large. Businesses are already absorbing the lost productivity caused by the fathers being exhausted. This formalizes it. In our project management course we learned a rule of thumb that for new parents you have ~25-30% less FTE available during the first year of the child's life (due to care for sick children, getting sick themselves, being exhausted from lack of sleep etc.)

sneak 7y ago
This seems like a sound argument for avoiding hiring people who might become parents soon. 30% less output for the same amount of pay seems like a bad deal for an employer.
- raydev 7y ago
  The employer will be fine with 30% reduced output.