Survey Reveals Three in Four Americans Believe Being a Father Makes You a Better Employee;...

Business Editors

SADDLE BROOK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2004

More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) believe that being a father translates into better performance on the job, according to the "Dads At Work" survey by Ajilon Finance, a professional staffing

"We wanted to gauge whether there was a correlation between fatherhood and job performance, and found both roles complement one another," said Neil Lebovits, president and COO of Ajilon Finance, himself a father. "Certain skills are easily transferable from one role to the other: offering guidance, overseeing development, rewarding and reprimanding are important in both roles."

But what about stay-at-home-fathers who want to return to the workforce? Americans see stay-at-home fathers as having more difficulty finding a job when they are ready to return to work. The survey reported almost half of respondents believe it would be more difficult for a stay-at-home-father vs. 37% for a stay-at-home-mother to find a job after taking time off to help raise the family. "Men may have more of a struggle than women if they stay home to raise children," said Lebovits. "Despite the progress women have made in the workforce it is still more widely accepted for women than men to stay at home. Men may have more self esteem issues staying home because they are still seen by many as the bread-winners," he continued.

Peter Francese, founder, American Demographics Magazine and demographic trends analyst for Ogilvy & Mather, notes, "There are about one million dads in America who stay home with the kids while their wives work compared to about 7 million stay-at-home-moms. However, stay-at-home-dads have increased much faster than stay-at-home-moms. Since 1990, stay-at-home-dads are up about 70% compared to only an 8% increase in stay-at-home-moms, indicating a significant trend."

Ajilon Finance has advice for stay-at-home-fathers returning to the workforce:

-- Make sure you set priorities beforehand to ensure a successful

work/life balance, think through what you will be forced to

give up and learn to accept it

-- Acknowledge what you do (and don't) have control over, and

what is easy to relinquish

-- Plan the transition with your family in advance by discussing

potential issues and how they will impact all family members

-- Be confident and feel good about your choice, especially when

interviewing with prospective employers

-- Enjoy the time you get to spend with your family! These are

precious moments not everyone gets the opportunity to

experience

"As the face of the workforce changes, we need to be sure to respect the issues parents face regardless of gender and provide environments where parents can successfully transition back to work," Lebovits concluded.

Survey Methodology:

The current results are based upon telephone interviews with a representative sample of 1,014 adults, 18 years of age or older, who are employed either full- or part-time. Participants included 508 women and 506 men. Interviews were conducted by Opinion Research Corporation's Caravan between May 6, 2004 and May 10, 2004. The margin of error is approximately plus or minus three percent. A copy of the survey is available upon request.

About Ajilon Professional Staffing, North America

Ajilon Professional Staffing is a leading specialty staffing and recruiting services firm and is part of the Adecco Group (ADO) - the world's largest human resource solutions provider. The North American professional staffing division has four focus areas: Ajilon Finance, Ajilon Office, Ajilon Legal and Ajilon Pinstripe. Ajilon Finance, previously AOC Accountants On Call, specializes exclusively in the temporary and permanent placement of premier accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. Ajilon Office, previously Millennium Staffing, offers clients office support professionals on a temporary and permanent basis. Ajilon Legal, previously Co-Counsel, places highly qualified candidates in a wide range of specialized positions including attorneys, paralegals and legal support professionals. Ajilon Pinstripe, formerly The Pinstripe Group, places professionals in a wide range of positions across a number of different industries in the Greater Toronto Area.

About Ajilon Worldwide

Worldwide, Ajilon has professional staffing and managed services divisions in several disciplines including finance and accounting, legal, high-end office support, information technology, communications, sales and marketing, engineering and more. Ajilon has more than 450 offices operating in 18 countries in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information can be found on the World Wide Web at www.ajilon.com.