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This week on The PR Insider, we chatted with Tom Hemingway, Senior PR Strategist at Ride Shotgun. He chatted about his top advice for working dads on how to manage their PR careers and family commitments.
As a father of two—Matilda (8) and Barney (5)—I know firsthand how unpredictable both working in PR and being a Dad can be. One minute you’re brainstorming for a possible out-of-home PR activation; the next, you’re panic-searching on TikTok “DIY love heart costume” for tomorrow’s Valentine school disco for Barney (which you definitely didn’t forget about!).
Top advice for working dads striving to manage their PR career and family commitments:
Prioritising what truly matters
Not every email needs an immediate response, and not every meeting needs to be a call. Being able to be flexible with work patterns has been really important for me —and I’m lucky to work with teams that support that mindset.
Setting boundaries once I finish work helps too. Putting my phone away during tea time, bath time, and bedtime means I’m actually present. I don't get it right every day, but I’m working on it.
Teamwork isn’t just for the office
In PR, collaboration is key, and the same applies at home. Communicating with my wife, sharing responsibilities, and asking for help when needed ensures that neither of us feels ‘too’ overwhelmed. Structure is important, but so is adaptability—because, as in PR, unexpected challenges with the kids will always arise.
Lego makes everything better…
Some days, I feel like I can navigate both work and family life pretty nicely. Other days, it’s a bit of a scramble, and that’s okay. Yesterday I built some Jurassic World Lego with the kids after breakfast and for those 20 minutes any stress and tasks on my mind for the day ahead, kind of disappeared. Does Lego make everything better….quite possibly!
I have also started 2025 with a new mindset to time block my outlook calendar at work and use my physical diary I keep on me to plan the important dates with the kids that I know are coming up that might involve me flexing my schedule, so I can plan ahead as much as possible and prioritise those key events and activities I need to be at!
Trust
Balancing PR and parenthood also requires a level of trust—both in yourself and from your employer. The ‘traditional’ 9-to-5 schedule doesn’t always fit, and being trusted to get the work done—regardless of when or where—is key. For me, that means fitting in school drop-offs and events whenever possible. Do I make it to every single one? No—and that’s okay. (Speaking of which, I think I can miss the ‘odd number day’ (yes that is a real thing….) dress-up assembly next week!
Finding what works for you
Work-life balance is personal. What works for one person might not work for another. Some PR Dads would prefer ideating or adding to a pitch deck after the kids bedtime; others might tackle breaking news comments over their first coffee of the day. The key is knowing your priorities and what absolutely has to get done today, and what can wait.
Making time for yourself is essential to create that balance! Whether it’s an early morning run before the kids wake up or a quiet cup of coffee before the chaos begins, those moments help me show up happier and healthier as a dad and as a PR.
Communicate what matters to you
PR is an unpredictable industry, but what’s most important is clear communication—both with your manager and yourself. Being upfront about your priorities and boundaries allows you to be both a dedicated PR and an engaged parent.
At the end of the day, balancing PR and parenthood isn’t about perfection - it’s about being present. And if that means holding off replying to a message for a school play or going over data and content after bedtime, so be it - flex what suits you! There’s no perfect formula for balancing it all, and I don’t always get it right. But with some planning, clear priorities, and remembering to take care of ourselves along the way (oh and of course build some Lego..) we’ve got this.
Make sure you go and give Tom a follow on LinkedIn.
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