Director Dad's 'Don't Need to Apologize' Credo Should Become Corporate Policy

It’s just what working parents need to see.

Managers, take note.

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Trying to manage a Zoom meeting and a kid at the same time isn't easy, but that's what working parenthood looks like during a pandemic. Luckily, one dad had just the message we needed.

Jamie Lewis, a managing director of a UK-based commercial mortgage brokerage and dad of three, was at first embarrassed when his son answered the phone in his office.

“Good morning, Affinity Group... sure, let me get my Dad!” his oldest son said into the phone. In an inspiring LinkedIn post, Jamie said he worried it was unprofessional—and wondered if he should apologize to his client. Then, he realized he had no reason to.

“I did neither... and nor should anyone—having children is one of the most natural things for a human to do, and right now having them with you all day is also—we don’t need to [apologize] for noise in the background, or ‘Can I have something to eat?’” Jamie wrote. “Anyone who has been on the phone [with] me and had their kiddies interrupt has been met with a, ‘You don’t need to say sorry.’”

Managers, take note. Hundreds of thousands of working parents around the globe are without childcare due to the pandemic, and they have no choice but to have their kids with them as they work. Jamie’s decision to be unapologetic about his role as a dad shows his team that it’s OK to have responsibilities outside of work.

For parents who don’t have supportive employers like Jamie, the story’s a little different. A recent study by the job search site Joblist showed that one in 10 parents said they hadn’t been offered any effective means of support from their employer—and only 10.8 percent of respondents described their employer’s support as “excellent.” Women were far more likely to report their employer’s support as “poor.” No wonder women are leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men.

If more managers follow this dad’s lead and acknowledge everything on employees’ plates—and lead by example to show there’s no reason to apologize—they just might keep parents in the workforce.