All articles

Flying the flag for men's health

Author:

Alan Dick

Published:

January 30, 2023

Flying the flag for men's health

When we moved for Movember in 2022, we wanted to shine a light on men’s health and the importance of staying mentally healthy as well as physically.

Becoming a dad while balancing his day job took its toll on Alan Dick, a long-serving Zipster in our Enterprise Sales team. We spoke to him about how Zip’s parental leave policy helped his family at a stressful time.

Could you tell us a little more about your role with Zip, how long you’ve been here and the parental leave arrangements you made as a Zipster?

I’ve been at Zip for almost 6 years now, starting as a CX agent then swiftly moving into the health team as a Business Development Manager, followed by the Enterprise Sales team and now finally as an Enterprise Partner Success Manager.

I was lucky enough to be able to take 12 weeks of Paternity leave when Bodhi was 9 months old.

What are some of the benefits you and your family have experienced by you choosing to take parental leave?

Rachel, my partner, only got 3 months off before having to return to work so we spent the next 6 months juggling our work meetings so that there were no overlaps. I’d watch him play in the corner with his toys whilst Rach and I were both on our laptops and it was heartbreaking.

Taking leave allowed me to give him the undivided attention he deserved. To be able to enjoy quality time with him every day, teach him new things and provide him with new experiences really helped build a strong bond between us. We even hopped on a plane and flew to Europe for a few weeks!

Why do you think paid leave for fathers may benefit both parents’ mental and physical health?

Having a child is just not an easy experience. For us, anyway. He was a very difficult baby! It was truly exhausting, highly stressful and after months on end feeling drained whilst also working every day, it definitely took its toll on our mental and physical health.

Taking leave not only helped relieve stress for the both of us but I eventually returned to work feeling refreshed. It was reinvigorating seeing colleagues again and I feel I came back with more drive and job satisfaction than I had prior to doing so.

What do we need to do to overcome the stigma against men taking parental leave?

To be honest, this stigma wasn’t much of an issue for me. I questioned whether it may be detrimental to my career progression but at the end of the day, I absolutely love spending time with him, he’s hilarious.So I’ll always choose his/my family’s needs first.

I believe the stigma has been shifting in recent years alongside people realising the advantages of having a better work/life balance and it’s great to see this trend continuing.

What one thing that people outside of the organisation may not know about Zip makes you proud to work here?

Most would say the culture, which is awesome. It’s a super-fun workplace with amazingly talented people. But I also believe that the leadership we have in place and the genuine support and care that they show for employees is inspiring and very rare!

Thank you Alan for sharing your story, and to all our Zipsters who flied the flag for men’s health in Movember.

Like what you've read?

Check out these other articles

Zipping it forward - our partnership with The DV Collective

Author: Anna Wei and Ying Zhang

Meet two of our fearless Product Managers, Anna Wei and Ying Zhang, and learn how they used their Volunteering Leave to support The DV Collective, a national domestic violence initiative

March 27, 2023

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Inspiring our next generation of female sales leaders

Author: Karen Farrar

In this article, Senior Director, Commercial Karen Farrar reflects on this year's International Women's Day theme and how it resonates given her experiences as a Zipster.

March 16, 2023

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
How we celebrated IWD 2023

Author: Multiple contributors

Learn all about how we recognised International Women's Day 2023 and what a gender equal future looks in the eyes of four of our fearless Zipsters
Sustainability UnZipped: Q&A with Oli

Author: Oli Nelson

We recently sat down with Zip’s Sustainability Associate Oli Nelson to hear what the team have been up to in support of our global Social Impact and Sustainability initiatives.

February 16, 2023

Data, Analytics & Risk
Building a fit-for-purpose modern data stack, part 2.

Author: Moss Pauly

In this second part of a multi-piece article, Moss Pauly, Senior Manager, Data Products, deep dives into the key decisions the team tackled when modernising Zip’s data stack

February 13, 2023

Data, Analytics & Risk
Building a fit-for-purpose modern data stack, part 1.

Author: Moss Pauly

In the first instalment of a multi-part blog post, Sydney-based Zipster Moss Pauly introduces our ANZ data platform and the team’s journey over the last 18 months.

February 15, 2023

Data, Analytics & Risk
Risk UnZipped: Q&A with Mohamed

Author: Mohamed Afifi

Meet Mohamed, based out of our NYC office, who's leading our Enterprise Risk Management strategy at an exciting point in the journey for Zip in the US.
All Things Product: Mel Hambarsoomian

Author: Mel Hambarsoomian

Our Director of Product Design, Melanie, recently sat down to reveal her career highlights, sharing what she looks for in talent, her insights on design maturity, product thinking and design leadership

January 29, 2023

Life at Zip
Celebrating our Zipsterversaries: November - January

Author: Multiple contributors

Each month we recognise the tenure of a Zipster who has truly lived our values during their time here. This article re-caps the stories of the three Zipsters who we celebrated from November '22 to January

January 26, 2023

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
How our Zipsters celebrated Lunar New Year

Author: Multiple contributors

Hear about the significance of Lunar New Year to Jess and Clement, and learn how they celebrate
Making use of our Volunteering Leave

Author: Multiple contributors

Every year Zipsters get 2 days of paid Volunteering Leave. Here's how a couple of the team used theirs...
Engineering UnZipped: Q&A with Nitin

Author: Nitin Khanchandani

Meet ANZ Senior Engineering Manager, Nitin Khanchandani, and get a deep dive into how Zip approaches Quality Engineering
Engineering UnZipped: Q&A with Philip

Author: Philip Laureano

Meet ANZ Engineering Manager, Philip Laureano, and learn about the technology that decides which Zip customers are approved for credit
Engineering Unzipped: Q&A with Autumn

Author: Autumn Ragland

US-based Engineer Autumn shares her experiences as a Zipster
Atomic change and the future of Technology at Zip

Author: George Gorman

ANZ CTO George Gorman gives a glimpse into the opportunities that lie ahead for the team

November 11, 2022

Data, Analytics & Risk
Moving at Zip speed while building data that stands the test of time

Author: Tal Bergman

ANZ Director Data Tal Bergman offers insight into life in the Data & Analytics team
Engineering UnZipped: Q&A with Kalpana

Author: Kalpana Chandrasekar

Meet ANZ Engineering Manager, Kalpana Chandrasekar, from our Shop & Rewards team

November 11, 2022

Data, Analytics & Risk
Master these three skills to grow your data and analytics career

Author: Will Walker

Looking to grow your data and analytics career? ANZ Senior Manager, Analytics Will Walker shares his top tips
View all articles