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A typical workday for a father looks much different today than it did a few years ago. During quarantines across the globe that began in Spring of 2020, many parents got more family time as a result of the pandemic while working from home. Fathers became more involved with household labor and homeschooling – and many are still enjoying this division of labor and love.
According to a recently released analysis based on a continuing survey of parents living with opposite-sex partners, 20% of fathers have continued to do more child care than in pre-pandemic days, and 25% do more household chores. To celebrate this year’s Father’s Day, we checked in with our amazing Sentinel Dads around the globe to learn more about their family and see how they best achieve a work-life blend.
Meet Petr Cyhelsky, Manager, Performance Validation
Petr joined SentinelOne almost two years ago and manages a team of Engineers across the Czech Republic. His A-Team includes Anastazie (8), Antonie (5), Amelie (3), and Albert (6 mo). Petr said being a father makes him a more conscious and thoughtful manager to his team.
“I fully understand and respect their need for work-life balance,” said Petr. “When people are able to fulfill the responsibilities in their personal life, they are more productive while working.”
In return, Petr felt very supported after the birth of his fourth child with Gender-Neutral Parental Leave. Any Sentinel who welcomes a new child into the family, regardless of gender or birthing status, receives 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave and two weeks of part-time work to ease the transition.
“The luxury of having such a long parental leave is something I am very grateful for,” said Petr. “Thanks to this incredible support I was able to fully support my wife after our son was born.
Petr works remotely, and enjoys one day a week in the office for face-to-face connection. He enjoys cooking for the kids and helping to take care of his home.
“I take care of all the garden work, heating, and house maintenance,” said Petr. “I do a lot of cooking and homework with kids. I also sort recyclables and manage the trash, including the composting.”
Being a father has taught Petr to think carefully about how his actions are perceived by others.
“I try to communicate with full transparency,” said Petr. “Even small things like assuming somebody has a similar understanding of some topic can skew the whole meaning of a conversation.”
Petr’s advice to other working dads is simple – don’t sweat the small stuff!
“Don’t wreck your brain about every little problem,” said Petr. “Your kids will just easily grow out of most of them.”
Meet Dhruv Mehra, India Controller, International Accounting
Dhruv has been a father for 12 years to his lovely daughter, Hannya. He describes her birth as truly life-changing.
“Hannya teaches me the deep meaning of gratitude and love,” said Dhruv. “She is a huge inspiration for me to work even harder to advance my career.”
Dhruv is grateful for the work culture at SentinelOne that enables him to be fully dedicated to fatherhood.
“Work-life balance is not just a phrase here,” said Dhruv. “It’s a real thing. We are supported by an amazing culture and leaders with strong family ethics.”
Dhruv embraces this balance between work and family and encourages other Dads on the team to do the same.
“As a working dad, you understand the true value of time and importance of being emotionally available to your family,” said Dhruv. “A balance is the key to professional and personal success.”
Dhruv works remotely, enjoying this flexibility to be very active in his daughter’s life and the division of household labor.
“I help my daughter get ready for school each morning,” said Dhruv. “In the evening when my wife, Princey, returns home, Hannya and I welcome her with hot food and huge smiles.”
Dhruv’s advice to other dads is to enjoy every moment.
“Children bring such great joy,” said Dhruv. “Work adds purpose and pride. Both are so important in a well-balanced existence!”
Meet Graeme Jenkins, Enterprise Sales, District Manager
Based out of the UK, Graeme is kept busy by his three sons, Sebastian (9), Harrison (6), and George (4). Graeme describes his children as the “why” behind all that he does.
“Family is everything,” said Graeme. “SentinelOne gives me the trust and freedom to work around my kids, which is incredibly important to me. Being there for my kids is my lifelong career.”
Graeme loves helping care for his children, including drop off and pick up!
“I feel very comfortable helping with the school run,” said Graeme. “My stress levels decrease knowing that I’ve helped out and gives me a break from screen time, which improves the quality of my work and well being.”
The imagination and creativity Graeme sees in his kids encourages him to be more collaborative. They inspire him to share his opinion and listen carefully to his teammates’ opinions as well.
“There was cable work on my street and the workers sprayed these markers,” said Graeme. “I thought nothing of it, but my youngest said, ‘Look at all the dragonflies daddy!’”
Graeme’s advice to other working fathers is to never miss an important family event for work.
“Take as many pictures as possible,” said Graeme. “Break the hard drive, max your storage! They grow too quickly. Leave the stresses of work at work and enjoy playtime outside as much as possible – that’s what kids remember!”
Meet Doug Clark, Vice President, Investor Relations
Doug’s family recently became a party of five with the birth of his daughter. For him, the best part of welcoming Leah is watching his older kids, Logan (6) and Dylan (4) shower the baby with love and care.
“Having three kids is amazing chaos,” said Doug. “The gap between the second and third helps. The coolest part is watching their relationship form. My daughter Logan has so much empathy for the baby, and my son Dylan wants to help and show her off to his friends.”
Prior to joining SentinelOne 3 years ago, Doug worked at a large bank, often arriving at his office by 4am and not returning home until 7pm.
“I can’t imagine life in an office again,” said Doug. “Now I get to see them during the day and help with rides to school. That’s something that I never imagined I could do with my career.”
Doug’s key to time management is a balanced schedule. Each night he reviews the upcoming day with his wife Lally, who runs her own event planning business.
“Now that I don’t commute, I repurpose drive time,” said Doug. “We don’t live close to family, so my amazing wife and I divide and conquer. Thankfully, our schedules are opposite, and we have a nice tag team effect.”
Doug grew up on the East Coast as the middle brother of three boys. He cherished time on the weekend playing sports with his Dad’s support.
“The world was so different then,” said Doug. “My Dad came home for dinner, and we had fun on the weekends together. I feel fortunate that remote work allows me to be a hands-on Dad during the weekdays.
Doug is using his parental leave this summer with flexibility, allowing him to support his team during the busy times of quarter close and earnings reports while supporting his growing family. When asked what advice he would give his younger self as a veteran Dad now, he had to search for a moment.
“I wouldn’t do much differently,” said Doug. “I love this journey of fatherhood, and it was so different each time. Being a Dad has taught me the importance of communication and collaboration. Maybe I’d tell myself to take everything a little easier. With kids, you can’t control everything.”
Happy Father’s Day from SentinelOne!
Whether we are Securing Tomorrow™ to prevent tomorrow’s threats today, or supporting our employees as they raise the next generation of empathetic thinkers and innovative doers, SentinelOne is proud to keep our focus on the future that ‘tomorrow’ holds. We wish the Dads of SentinelOne a very happy Father’s Day and look forward to growing our culture rooted in community, relentlessness, and trust.
Learn more about the award-winning culture and open job opportunities on our Careers page.
