Appreciating our Paternal Figures: Happy Father’s Day from iProspect

Father’s Day is a day to celebrate the paternal role in each of our lives. We all have a story about fatherhood that has influenced us, whether it is from biological, stepfathers or father figures. We dedicate this post to all the dads, uncles, coaches, and grandpas who invest time and attention into our future generation of leaders.

iProspect is built on the belief that our employees are our most valuable asset and we prioritize giving them a sense of security, flexibility, and family support: from extensive parental and caregiver leave to help with therapy, specialist support in adoption, fertility, and surrogacy. We take pride in being able to provide our people with the necessary support and care when they need it most, so we can grow into positive, thriving families together.

To celebrate Father’s Day, we are spotlighting some of our agency’s caregivers who share their insights on encouraging growth and creating balance between their roles as family members and employees.

 

How has dentsu supported you as a working father/parental figure?

My family is expecting our first child later this summer. Having spent my career working in the media service line, proactive and tactful planning is a huge part of what we do every day. While I realize no amount of planning can fully prepare someone for fatherhood, knowing that we have the generous parental leave policy provided by dentsu is a tremendous support as we plan to welcome our first child.

Joseph Smith, Senior Director, Client Services

I really value how much dentsu supports parents and it’s truly part of the reason I have been with the organization for so many years. Having 16 weeks of paid parental leave to spend with my family after the birth of my younger daughter was such a great (and tiring…) experience that I know many parents do not have the luxury of. Additionally, being able to work remotely and utilize flex hours to fit my family schedule, has allowed me to really be there for my kids in their younger years and be the kind of parent I want to be, all while having a career.

Ryan Hessenthaler, Group Account Director, Client Services

denstu offers great flexibility with my schedule and the ability to work around my kids schedule so I can be a present father. The time with the kids is so precious. In addition to the 16 weeks of paternity leave, working from home has been a game changer leading to countless hours with my little ones that I wouldn’t of had if I was still commuting.

Scott Randel, Senior Director, Client Services 

What is the biggest challenge/benefit to working from home and being a parental figure?

As a father of two, working from home is great for so many reasons. Since my children are homeschooled (a huge shout out to those homeschooler families out there!!) being close to them during the day gives me firsthand knowledge of their learning, challenges they face, excitement they experience, etc... It can be very rewarding to be part of their day versus getting a text message at the office or a nightly download over dinner. On the flip side, there certainly are distractions, like when you are in the middle of a video call and someone needs to ask you a burning question (did my Amazon package arrive, do we have more sugar, did you hear me yelling your name LOL). In this case, I would liken it to a passing conversation at the office water cooler or running into an old colleague and chatting about days of old. Overall, I think the benefits outweigh the risks, but as with everything in life, balance is key.

Eric Sidone, Senior Director, Client Service