After more than nine months, Wietze de Jager has become too heavy to make radio on Radio 538 five mornings a week. He wants to take parental leave, but fears Talpa’s reaction.
Wietze de Jager has been making the morning show of Radio 538 together with Klaas van der Eerden since the beginning of the year. They succeeded Frank Dane, who failed as successor to Edwin Evers. After nine months, however, Wietze already seems to give up half, because it is all getting too heavy. He not only has a wife at home, but also three children.
parental leave
It’s tough, Wietze said during an eight (!) minute report on Radio 538 on Monday morning. just throw the subject up?” he started to his colleagues.
It’s time for parental leave, says Wietze. “Paternity leave means that you have the right to free time to spend more time with your family. Per child you get 26 times a working week if you work forty hours and with three children that is about, in my case, 78 weeks to which you are entitled. 78 weeks of parental leave in total, until your child is eight years old.”
‘It eats energy’
Wietze wants to use up those 78 weeks completely. “The government has come up with this in order to maintain a good balance between work and private life. We are nine months on the road with this morning program and I find it really very exciting to talk about this. That’s not a joke, I find that very scary.”
The radio maker has no other choice; it’s broken. “I notice that this morning program and everything that comes with it and a young family is quite an energy-consuming combination.”
Klaas surprised
Colleague Klaas is surprised. “And you didn’t know that in advance when you made that choice?”
Wietze: “I didn’t expect it to get so complicated, no. I did not expect that. I have also made a morning program before, but that was without children. Now I am at home with three young children and as far as I am concerned… At home the balance is sometimes a bit off and I am not always the nice father I want to be.”
Klaas: “Yes, that… Are we going to talk about this seriously? Okay. Of course I can see that you are sometimes a bit tired. And I understand that if you have three young children. The funny thing is, of course, that I still think: you knew that beforehand. Well, it is now the case.”
‘It gnaws at me’
Wietze feels that he is failing as a father. “I have the best job in the world and I think it’s fantastic to do, but I notice that it gnaws because I can’t give enough at home, so you feel like you just can’t do it well enough. I just want to be with my kids with the right energy.”
He wants to work at least one day a week less, but is already afraid of Talpa’s reaction. “Then at some point I have to go to my supervisor and I will ask: ‘Can I take parental leave?’ Then my supervisor probably says (starts to scream, ed.): ‘NOOO!!!’ And then you say, ‘Yes, I’m entitled to it.’”
Talpa does not seem to be happy with Wietze’s statements. Of all his radio broadcasts, only last Monday’s one in which he makes these statements is not to listen back.
