Jack Wilson, Knowledge Management Lead at the Financial Times, shares what returning to work after paternity leave really felt like. From the jolt of shifting routines to the deeper recalibration of identity that comes with becoming a parent, Jack reflects on why generous paternity leave matters for families and for truly inclusive workplaces. He talks openly about the support he received from his manager and team, the value of flexibility and psychological safety, and how FT’s approach helped him return to work with confidence, purpose, and a renewed sense of ambition.
Congratulations on the birth of your baby! How are you feeling now that you’re back at work and navigating the balance between parenthood and your role at FT?
I’m feeling good. Really good. But I’d be lying if I said the return to work didn’t come with a bit of a jolt.
The first stretch back was genuinely hard. Not because I didn’t want to be at work, but because I’d got completely used to a different rhythm. The days had been structured around a tiny person with firm views on feeding times and sleep (and no interest in my calendar).
Going from that back into meetings, messages and deadlines is a real adjustment.
What I didn’t fully anticipate is that “coming back to work” isn’t just about work. It’s about recalibrating your whole identity at once: employee, father, partner, individual. And suddenly you’re trying to balance four sets of needs — your job, your baby, your partner, and the part of you that still needs friends, fresh air, and the occasional hour that belongs to nobody else.
So yes, I’m feeling great. But it’s also a constant exercise in recalibration. Having a child shifts your perspective, and coming back to work is where you start working out what that new perspective actually means day-to-day. It takes time. I’m still figuring it out.
Paternity leave is sometimes still seen as secondary to maternity leave. Why do you think paternity leave is just as important, both for families and for creating a truly inclusive workplace?
At its simplest, I think it’s about equality: equality of responsibility, and equality of opportunity to bond. If we genuinely believe parenting is a shared job (and I do), then fathers need the time and space to actually show up for it, not just “help out”, but provide the same level of care, day in, day out.
It’s also just good for families! Those first weeks are intense, emotional, exhausting, and completely transformative. Having both parents there creates a really strong starting point. Not only for the baby, but for the partnership that has to carry the whole thing. And if we’re serious about inclusion at work, this is part of the infrastructure. A “generous paternity policy” isn’t a nice extra, it’s a signal that different kinds of families, and different kinds of caregivers, are genuinely supported.
What message do you think FT’s approach to paternity leave sends to current and prospective employees about how the organisation values families?
I think it communicates that the FT believes paternity leave matters. It matters for dads, it matters for partners, it matters for babies and it matters for workplaces that want to be inclusive in practice, not just on posters.
I wish every business in the UK and, honestly, around the world supported parents like this. Not because it’s “nice”, but because it’s essential. It creates a stronger bond. It supports partners. It gives people the time and space to process what’s happened and to work out what their new identity and relationship looks like, as a parent and as a couple.
It shouldn’t be a luxury or a perk, it should be normal.The FT’s recognition of that is a powerful message to future employees who may be considering having kids.
How did FT support you before, during, and after paternity leave, and what made your return to work feel manageable?
I felt incredibly well supported by my manager, team, and by the FT more broadly.
The process itself was refreshingly simple and flexible. I told HR roughly when the baby was due, but it was made very clear from the start that babies don’t exactly stick to project plans and that whenever she arrived, it would be fine. The message was basically: don’t overthink it, you can drop everything when the time comes.That might sound like a small thing, but when you’re heading into a completely unknown life event, that reassurance makes a huge difference.
I did my handover well in advance, and when my daughter arrived (earlier than expected), I was able to step away immediately without feeling like I was creating chaos or letting anyone down.
Something I’d really encourage people to use is the return-to-work counselling. I found it genuinely helpful. Coming back after a long stretch away is harder than you think it’ll be, and it helps to have someone neutral to talk to about the messy bits: the adjustment, the guilt, the identity shift, the constant recalibration. I’m very grateful the FT funded those sessions. I actually carried on with the counsellor afterwards, and I’m still speaking to her now.
Since returning, the tone from my manager and team has been consistent: having a young baby requires flexibility, and that’s understood. I’ve felt able to say when I’m finding it hard, or when I need to flex my day, or when the balancing act isn’t balancing. It doesn’t feel taboo to admit you’re struggling to juggle it all and that psychological safety is a form of support in itself.
Overall, the FT made the transition smoother in two ways: by making the logistics easy, and by encouraging a culture where managers give people the space to work out what “normal” looks like again.
From a leadership perspective, how do resilient teams and flexible working support people through major life changes?
This is one of those questions where the honest answer is: it depends on your role, your team, and the kind of work you do. But the principle matters everywhere.
From a leadership perspective, building a team that relies on one person being “always on” is basically building fragility into the system. It might feel efficient in the short term — one person knows everything, one person holds all the relationships, one person is the go-to — but it’s a single point of failure. If the team can’t function without one individual constantly present, that’s not a high-performing team, it’s a team held together by one person’s stamina.
My role is fairly unique. I sit within a team, but the rest of the team does something quite different. So in theory, you could assume I’d have to be permanently available. But in practice, I’ve been encouraged to work in a way that empowers other people and builds capability beyond me. The support I provide is useful, I hope,but things still happen without me. The world doesn’t stop. The difference is that some broader, strategic progress might slow down while I’m away. And that’s okay. That was made very clear to me: some things can pause for six weeks and be picked up again afterwards.
That doesn’t remove the need for good handovers, it still matters to make sure things have a “home” and aren’t stuck in your head. But it changes the emotional load. You’re not leaving with the sense that everything will fall apart.
On the flexible working side: I’ve worked four days a week since I joined the FT, and I’ve consistently felt supported in that arrangement. It’s not treated as an awkward exception, it’s just how I work. I’ve also felt that if I needed to change things, it would at least be considered properly rather than dismissed out of hand.
As a new parent, that flexibility is everything. It’s what makes it possible to navigate reality without feeling like you’re failing at work or failing at home. And culturally, it sends the message that being a committed employee and being a present parent aren’t mutually exclusive.
How did taking paternity leave shape your perspective on work–life balance and long-term career sustainability at FT?
I’m not sure it’s paternity leave itself that changes how you think about work, so much as the mindset you come back with afterwards.
It’s definitely shifted my priorities. In the short term, work takes a bit of a back seat. Not in the sense that you stop caring, but in the sense that your appetite for “extra” changes. Your time is suddenly much more expensive. You’re less inclined to do things just because you always have.
But at the same time (and this is the bit that surprised me) it’s also made me more ambitious. Because once you’ve got a family, “work” isn’t just work, stability. It’s providing. It’s building the kind of life you want your child to grow up in. That adds a different sort of motivation.
I’ve found myself leaning into that. I’ve volunteered for quite a lot this year, I’m on the Next Gen Board and I don’t know if I’d have gone for that pre-baby. Maybe I would have. Maybe not. But I do know I’m looking for opportunities more with a new sense of purpose.
If you were speaking directly to candidates in tech, data, or knowledge roles, what would you want them to know about working at the FT beyond the job description?
I’d probably start with something very practical, that the benefits and work-life balance are genuinely excellent.
The other thing I’d say is: try not to arrive with too many preconceptions about what the FT “must be like”. I definitely had them. When I joined, I had a bit of trepidation about whether it would feel very formal, very “business”, maybe a bit elitist, maybe a bit suited and booted.
What I found instead was a place that’s open and welcoming, with friendly people and a culture that feels refreshingly non-toxic. The consistent vibe I get is that lots of people really like working here, for exactly those reasons.
What would you say to other dads (or soon-to-be dads) considering taking paternity leave but feeling unsure about stepping away from work?
Honestly: take it. Take all of it.
We’re incredibly lucky at the FT, the paternity leave is genuinely generous, and that isn’t something to treat as a nice perk you feel vaguely guilty about. It’s there because it matters. It matters for your mental health, your partner’s mental health, and (most importantly) for your child.
If the thing holding you back is the idea of disappearing for a big chunk of time, it’s worth remembering you can be flexible. You don’t necessarily have to take it all in one go. I split mine in half with a long gap in between - that’s worked well for me because it gives you support at the intense beginning, but also a second stretch when you’re more confident and can do more with your baby.
But the bigger point is this: don’t deny yourself the chance to build that bond. Don’t deny yourself the chance to grow into your identity as a parent. That time is genuinely formative and you don’t get many opportunities in life where you’re allowed (and encouraged) to step back from everything else and focus on the people who matter most.
Be generous to yourself. Be generous to your family. The work will still be there. This moment won’t.