Empowered Dads (At Work and Home)

There are few things more exciting—and life changing—than the birth of a new child. How will you manage responsibilities as a family? Is your home ready for a new addition? What will your daily routines look like? Even if it’s a welcome change, adjusting takes time. That’s why Van Meter gives all its employee-owners the time they need to figure it out—even the dads. With paid paternity leave, flexible work schedules and opportunities for growth and development, here’s how Van Meter helps employee-owners be the best dad they can be.

TIME YOU CAN NEVER GET BACK

Working at Van Meter gave Mike Hepker, Commodities Supervisor at Van Meter, a memory that will last forever. He just had his first child, a boy named Grayson. His wife was on her last week off before returning to work, and Hepker was beginning his six weeks of paid paternity leave. It was their first week together as a family, and there was nothing to distract them from each other.

“That week was something I’ll never forget. I can’t put into words how awesome it was,” said Hepker. “Looking back, I could never get that time back. He changed so much. It was like looking at a new baby every day.”

Hepker said they were able to do many things for the first time as a family and had fun giving Grayson rides in their side-by-side, but many families in the U.S. do not get the same opportunities. According to SHRM’s employee benefits survey, just 35% of organizations in the U.S. offer paid maternity leave, and only 27% offer paid paternity leave for fathers.

Van Meter offers its employee-owners six weeks of paid paternity leave. Why is that time so important?

For Tyler Thompson, Director of Sales Support, his first time on paternity leave was somehow the fastest and slowest six weeks of his life. It was the first time he had been disconnected from work for a long time, and it gave he and his wife the time they needed to learn how to be parents and get their house ready for a newborn. In addition to the lessons he learned on parenting, it gave him a new perspective on work.

“I realized that not everything in our day-to-day lives is as important as we think it is, and reassessing your priorities is healthy,” said Thompson. “There were a lot of things on my list I thought I needed to do when I left, and they either weren’t important anymore or could still wait when I got back.”

Hepker agreed, saying that it helped him get past the day-to-day stresses that work and life can bring.

“When you step back, you realize how lucky we are to be working for a company that values family and the fathers of newborns,” he said.”

FLEXIBILITY TO BE A SINGLE FATHER

If being a dad is hard, being a single father is like the final boss level of a video game. Chang Vang, Financial Services Coordinator, knows about both as the single father of four-year-old Clark—“like Superman”—who loves playing Marvel video games and racing his dad in Mario Kart.

Vang joined Van Meter nine years ago, and for his first eight years, he worked in the warehouse from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. About a year ago, he transitioned to his current office role with more traditional hours that make his life as a single father easier to manage.

Rather than limiting time off to a certain number of days or hours, Van Meter offers its employee-owners TOTAL™ , or Time Off To Appreciate Life™. That means employee-owners are empowered to decide how much time away from work they need for their personal sense of wellbeing, while being their very best for Van Meter. TOTAL™ has relieved stress for Vang and allowed him to be with his son when he’s sick or has appointments.

Vang said his peers and his leaders have been very supportive and even encourage him to take time off.

“I think it’s really great. It enables me to be a better father,” he said.

It’s given them time to do things together that would have been difficult otherwise. For instance, he and Clark were able to roadtrip with family to see Vang’s grandparents in Arkansas for the first time in years.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

Having time off helps, but how do you grow and develop the skills it takes to be a parent? Thompson credits the professional and leadership development available to him at Van Meter for helping him be a better father too.

Van Meter offers employee-owners more than courses on Excel spreadsheets and sales. There are books, speakers and opportunities to speak with other leaders that help both professionally and personally.

“Having access to those conversations and materials helps me clear my head and reflect on things, not only for work, but for myself too,” said Thompson. “I think it’s a huge benefit that not many people I talk to have at their job.”

One of those development opportunities helped Vang find his current role. At a leadership training, he met with one of the leaders on Van Meter’s finance team. Vang explained that he eventually wanted to move into a different role in the office. When a position later came open, she reached out to see if Vang was interested, and he has spent the last year on the finance team. Growing his career at Van Meter has given him more time with his son to experience the joys of fatherhood.

“He’s a part of me, and watching him grow from a little kid to a teen to a person starting his own life is going to be the best,” said Vang.

Hepker has had a similar trajectory of career growth with Van Meter. He actually had more paternity leave than his wife after their son was born. She had to use all her time off for the year, but he can take time off to make it to appointments and stay home if their daycare is closed. For him, there’s nothing better than that time with his son.

“My son’s my world. When I pick him up from daycare, he lights up,” he said. “We don’t have many bad days at Van Meter, but even if the day didn’t go to plan, when he smiles and starts crawling towards me, it’s like everything else melts away.”

As Father’s Day approaches, all three talked about how much they appreciate working for a company that supports dads the way Van Meter does. It’s not just policies, time off and training—it’s part of the company culture. How much so? When Thompson tells his friends about his paternity leave or time off, they just roll their eyes and say, “Of course—you work at Van Meter.”

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