Here comes the future!

Last week many companies, including Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK enjoyed hosting Take Your Child to Work Day.  Our future leaders!   One of my favorite days as I get to see our employees being Mom, Dad or caregiver, being proud and being in the moment.  A great day!

This annual event happens every April with over 37 million future employees participating at over 3.5 million companies.  I have fond memories of bringing my kids to work each year.  My boys still share funny stories from some of our days.  One year, my company had a very structured day with presentations, learning activities and tours. Not to mention the breakfast buffet set up, lunch, ice cream and an afternoon movie (from 3:30pm-5pm to allow parents to catch-up a bit on their work for the day).  It was fairly scheduled with leaders speaking and interacting about their roles, activities for the kids around building resumes, interviewing and looking at data, etc.   What did my boys tell their mother when she asked about their day? “Dad’s job is pretty cool - he eats donuts and watches movies all day.”

Anecdotes aside, the day was founded in 1993 by Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation for Women, originally called Take Our Daughters to Work Day.  In 2003, the program expanded to include boys, renaming the day to “Take Our Children to Work Day.” According to the official website, the program was changed in order to provide both boys and girls with opportunities to explore careers at an age when they are more flexible in terms of gender roles. The Ms. Foundation also states that men who have hosted children have benefited from being seen as parental figures in addition to their roles as professionals, which can contribute to combating gender stereotypes as well. 

Each year my boys saw more and more of what I did.  By bringing them to work with me, they had the opportunity to see executives and leaders, at a young age.  They were exposed to many different jobs and saw how we all juggle work-life balance.  As they grew older, they listened to conference calls, helped me go through my daily emails, were involved in some decisions, and gained an understanding of what our company was about.  They also started to tie what they were learning in school with what they would need in their “jobs” as they got older.

At Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK’s Take Your Child to Work Day, we referred to all of our children as #LeadersInTraining.  We understand that our future will be in their hands. It is our responsibility to develop and cultivate their creativity, to allow them to feel emotionally safe, and finally to give them an interactive environment to think about their goals and help them better envision their future.  By including girls and boys in our day, we educate our children that family-friendly work environments are not just a woman's issue, but an issue for everyone.  Without gender limitations, the day gives our children an opportunity to see what's out there, to understand what it means to work, to dream, and to create a future for themselves.   This day is about introducing our child to that same balance of work and family -  proving to our sons and daughters how important both members of the family are in creating that balance.

Some thoughts I have for all of us as we talk to our kids about last week:

The day will give our kids a relatable experience - helping our kids experience all kinds of different things is important for their development, and it broadens their understanding of the world.  No matter what you do, it’s something our kids haven’t experienced before, and that exposure alone could be a really good reason to let them tag along.  A great reason to talk about something different.  Chances are, your kids have asked if they could come to work with you. And now you have let them.  They’re curious about what you do and how you do it.  What did they learn?  What did they like?  What did they not like?

The day will add a new twist to your relationship – I am betting that last week when you brought your children to work– it might not have been your most productive day, but it probably was memorable!   I am sure your kids were very proud when they went back to school the next day.  Not only did they miss a day of school, but they spent quality time with their mom or dad or sibling or grandparent or caregiver.  It was a special day.  An excellent bonding experience for you and your kids. You made terrific memories, and your children will be talking about it for months.  They now may see you in a different light.  Children sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are real people. Chances are, they don’t spend much time thinking about what our life is like when we’re away from them.  Having the chance to see us in a different environment, working, interacting and leading, hopefully, gave them a little more understanding of our day, our responsibilities, our company and the (sometimes crazy) pace of our day.  What did they like about our workplace?  Our company? 

The day may encourage our kids to dream a bit more - the big idea has always been to help kids feel inspired and excited about their future careers. It helps our kids appreciate the benefits of an education, and it could improve their academic performance.  The fact is, this probably was a more profound experience for our kids than we could ever predict.

The day allows you to combine two worlds, work-life and family-life - After last week, hopefully your co-workers had a chance to meet your most prized possessions.  Additionally, when you are at home talking about your co-workers and boss, your children now can put the name and the face together.  I hope you had the chance to combine your two worlds, your work life and your family life.  Blended, they make up most of your life.  Think about that.

Last week was a wonderful opportunity to bond with your child on a new level. I hope you gave them a better understanding of what you do all day long while they are at school. They may now ask you questions about your work life that would never have been discussed unless they saw you at work. If they are older, I hope you opened their eyes to a whole different world outside of school, sports and other after-school activities.  Opened some new dreams, or thoughts, or questions.  Maybe even earned some respect and admiration. 

You are a working Mom or Dad because you want to be a good role model for your children.  I am sure for many of you, and for me when my boys were younger, you can enjoy watching your children pretend to be like you.  Nothing is more rewarding.  Here comes the future (before you know it).

See our #LeadersInTraining during Take Your Child to Work Day here

Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

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