Fathers of the Year involved in building a father-friendly workplace culture

The theme for this year is Fathers as employers and as representatives of employers. The aim of the theme is to bring forward the importance of adapting work and family and the role of employers in the construction of a father-friendly workplace culture.

Jouni Eho (35) is Finnish CEO at the Nordic research and consulting company Oxford Research. In spite of his hectic work and his status as an entrepreneur, he has managed to divide his time between his family and his work. Eho himself works early in the morning in order to be with his three children in the evening. His company puts an emphasis on the well-being of families: working hours are flexible, telecommuting is used, and shorter working hours are possible for family reasons. He praises the new technology that makes it possible to hold online meetings, and in consequently made it possible to reduce the amount of commuting, for instance.

Hanno Nevanlinna (39) works as the Director of Culture at the digital services company Futurice. Among other things, he has shortened his working week in order to spend more time with his young daughter. A leading idea ofhis company is eight-hour work days. Taking paternity and family leave has been made easy. Nevanlinna is able to organize his work to suit the schedules of his two-child family. He feels that the family is always more valuable than work.

Seppo Sauro (64) has promoted a father-friendly society and workplace culture throughout his working career. Through his own example he has also promoted the holding of family leave by fathers at a time when it was not commonplace for fathers to take parental leave. In his own writings and comments, Sauro has actively brought out the importance of being a grandparent on a personal and societal level. Sauro works as the CEO at the Central Union for Child Welfare.

Father of the Year prize

The Father of the Year prize is awarded to a person who has promoted the recognition of the importance of fatherhood through personal example and action, and in so doing, increased appreciation for it. The goal is to strengthen fatherhood, to support the integration of work and families, to promote the interests of children and equality between men and women.

The first Father of the Year prize was awarded in 2006. At the invitation of the Family Federation of Finland, participants in the selection this year included Yhden vanhemman perheiden liitto (the Single Parent Families' Association), the Miessakit Association, the Church Council, the Finnish Parents' League, the Coalition of Finnish Women's Associations, the Central Union for Child welfare, the Finnish Multiple Births Association, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Family Federation of Finland, and the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare.

Further Information, please contact

Jouni Eho, tel. +358 44 203 2083, jouni.eho @oxfordresearch.fi
Hanno Nevanlinna, tel. +358 50 337 4037, hanno.nevanlinna @futurice.com
Seppo Sauro, tel. +358 40 504 2101, seppo.sauro @lskl.fi
Chief Inspector Annamari Asikainen, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. + 358 295 163 232, annamari.asikainen @stm.fi