‘People who are much better at managing their affairs’: Australian managers’ experiences of supervising fathers who work part-time

The literature about engaged fatherhood and part-time work is expanding, but much of this work has focused almost exclusively on the experiences of the father or his partner. Much less is known about the experiences of managers who supervise part-time working fathers. To address this gap, the current study interviewed 15 Australian managers of fathers who worked part-time to care for their children. Two themes emerged from a Reflexive Thematic Analysis: (1) Opportunities and Challenges for managers: employees were described as more productive/efficient/happier and contributing to a more talent-attractive workplace, while managers had to ensure good communication/planning and respect employees’ work-family boundaries; (2) Personality-driven leadership approaches: participants described themselves as empathetic/supportive, preferring open/clear communication. The part-time working arrangement was presented as beneficial for supervisors and fathers. Managers’ alignment to a transformational leadership style was described as supporting such an arrangement. These findings align with boundary theory, showing how work-family boundaries are managed and might be shaped by organisational ‘boundary-control climates’. They also highlight managerial perceptions in legitimising enrichment benefits for fathers. The findings provide a basis for further studies to explore the experiences of other stakeholders associated with part-time working fathers and understand contemporary working and parenting experiences.