White House Officials Host Business Leaders for Special Event on Working Fathers

Leading up to a summit on working families, the White House is hosting a day of discussions on June 9 that will address the state of working fathers and how businesses have created win-win cultures to enable their working dads to be more involved parents and better employees. Business leaders, administration officials, and other working fathers will convene in Washington to “explore the breadth of roles dads play today at home” and “the new challenges dads experience balancing career and family,” according to a White House announcement.

Businesses and officials will also discuss the business case for generous workplace flexibility and paid parental leave–how these benefits can boost profitability and reduce costs. The event also will promote how both businesses and working families benefit from progressive administration-backed workplace policies like paid parental leave and extensive workplace flexibility options. In order to stay competitive, companies need to attract and retain the best talent, and policies that support working families are crucial to these goals, states the White House.

Speakers will include New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, who will discuss why he decided to take paternity leave on opening day earlier this year to be with his wife for the birth of their first child and the support he received from his team and Major League Baseball. Among White House officials participating are Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, and Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman.

The White House Summit on Working Families will take place on June 23.