Introduction and Situational Analysis
There is always a massive level of stress that comes with balancing work life and family life. Everybody wants an opportunity for career development where they find the opportunities to achieve the full potential. On the other hand, the family is an increasingly important institution that requires attention and is also a form of self-fulfillment. Although there is a need to fulfill the two, it always comes with massive difficulties. Many organizations are unwilling to provide individuals, especially men, with the much-needed time off to attend to family issues such as the paternity leave. Although this gives them an opportunity to continue pursuing their career ambitions, it robs them a chance to enjoy the essence of family. On the other hand, workers might receive enough time to attend to their family matters such as the long maternal leaves at the expense of their career development. As such, there is a need to balance the two factors, something that has proven difficult to achieve among many individuals.
Stakeholder Analysis
Several stakeholders come into play when assessing this ethical dilemma of work and family issues. One of the primary stakeholders is the employer. They are responsible for making policies that govern career and family issues such as child-bearing. First, it is essential to appreciate that countries differ with regards to the laws overseeing maternity and paternity leaves. Many states in the United States, for instance, provide the employment-protected maternity leave (Gault et al. 2014). On the other hand, Sweden is among the countries that are moving towards protecting the paternity leave provision. As such, these nations value the importance of family in the holistic development of an individual. However, employers will have to do with extra budgets for paying nonworking staff. Also, they will ensure employee shortage especially when the maternity period spans for months. The second stakeholder is the employer. According to Rehel (2014), researchers have intimated that the paid paternity leave is one of the significant ways of promoting healthy family and also developing a unique familial bond. Research has also shown that many men are gearing up for the paternity leave to join the nursing mothers. However, this could hamper career development and also affect the overall retirement package that workers ought to receive at retirement. Therefore organizations must come up with policies that enable the holistic support of the worker in both work and family dimensions. Furthermore, they must clearly stipulate what is required of them during the off-duty days to avoid implications on their career growth.
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Analysis Based On Ethical Theories
Van den Hoven and Van de Poel (2015) noted that cultural relativism is an ethical model that asks people to judge others based on their unique cultural tenets. Something should be regarded as right, wrong, normal, or strange after subjecting it to their cultural perspectives. Many cultures hold the institution of family in high regards, and as such, employers must remain keen to respect such demands. It is through such cultures that laws are made such as that mandating paid maternity leave in the US. Teleological ethics views moral obligation through the lenses of what is regarded as desirable (Allhoff, Evans, & Henschke, 2013). Depending on one's ambitions, either family or career will take precedence over the other. However, the ultimate good will come when one strikes a balance between the two. Deontological ethics focus on the rightness and wrongness of action as opposed to its consequences. Failures in family and career obligations have social and economic implications respectively. Virtue ethics focuses on acting in a morally correct way. In this case, it would refer to honoring both family and career responsibilities.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Based on the analysis of the issue, it is imperative for employers to honor paid parental leave. More countries should move towards the approach employed by Sweden where male employees are at the center of affirmative organizational policies. However, companies must ensure that employees in parental leave remain at per with the competencies of their jobs in a bid to preserve their workmanship. Almqvist and Duvander (2014) asserted that Swedish companies should, therefore, continue with family-friendly policies because they assist in recruiting talented employees.
References
Allhoff, F., Evans, N. G., & Henschke, A. (Eds.). (2013). Routledge Handbook of Ethics and War: Just War Theory in the 21st Century. Routledge.
Almqvist, A. L., & Duvander, A. Z. (2014). Changes in gender equality? Swedish fathers' parental leave, the division of childcare and housework1. Journal of family studies, 20(1), 19-27.
Gault Ph.D., B., Hartmann Ph.D., H., Hegewisch, A., Milli Ph.D., J., & Reichlin, L. (2014). Paid parental leave in the United States: What the data tell us about access, usage, and economic and health benefits. Routledge.
Rehel, E. M. (2014). When dad stays home too: Paternity leave, gender, and parenting. Gender & Society, 28(1), 110-132.
Van den Hoven, J., Vermaas, P., & Van de Poel, I. (2015). Handbook of ethics, values and technological design. Dordrecht: Springer.
