What’s The Next Step in Inclusion and Equity in The Workplace? Embracing Working Parents
The blending of the personal and professional life of a working parent is what many would liken to a juggling act. While viewed as seamless from the outside looking in, the process is not an easy feat. Today, working parents account for a considerable amount of the U.S. workforce. A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that in 2018, 61% of married couples with children reported being employed. These numbers are increasing and likely indicates one of two things: some of your best employees have children; or, at some point in life, intend to, Writes Teresa Hopke, CEO, Talking Talent
The blending of the personal and professional life of a working parent is what many would liken to a juggling act. While viewed as seamless from the outside looking in, the process is not an easy feat. Today, working parents account for a considerable amount of the U.S. workforce. A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that in 2018, 61% of married couples with children reported being employed. These numbers are increasing and likely indicates one of two things: some of your best employees have children; or, at some point in life, intend to.
Working parents often face balancing dual responsibilities – finding flexible family-friendly workplaces, and most importantly, feeling a part of the fabric that is company culture. Despite the growing availability of paid leave to in-demand talent, parents are reporting a significant disconnect between the support a company says it offers to working parents and what they actually experience. In fact, 66% of working parents feel they are in some way failing to be the parent they want because of work pressures. There’s even a term for it, “working parent guilt”.
In today’s ecosystem, people are most concerned with feeling connected to an organization, and this is translated through how the company treats them. Research shows when psychological needs are met in the workplace, there is greater productivity, innovation, creativity, and client satisfaction.
When organizations make a concerted effort to care for parents, it simultaneously creates a culture in which working parents trust that their entire self is valued; not just the capabilities they bring to the table at work, but the part of them that also shows up with their significant others, children and family members.
Learn more: Until Robots Can Watch Our Kids, Child Care Remains a Human Issue
Oftentimes, companies indirectly expect mothers to set up their life to revolve around work. Women have all too often felt the strain and guilt of working and taking care of their family, so much so that women feeling more connected, moving up through the ranks, advancing and being retained (by their respective employers) have become a gritty game of pick and choose. In the end, employers lose great employees, a fate that could have been prevented.
Here are a few ways companies can create nurturing and healthy workplace environments for working parents:
Offer Longer Paid Parental Leave
While this may seem obvious, companies must grasp and understand parental leave is essential to creating a safe environment in the workplace. This benefit shows employees that you care not only about the employee, but also their family unit. A 2019 report shows the average length of paid parental leave has increased for fathers, but not so much for mothers.
The findings also reveal while progress has been made, there is still a long way to go.
Set A Visible Example
There is no greater example of an effective and supportive work-life balance policy than that of the leaders who model expected behavior. As a leader, do you visibly leave to attend family functions, make it a point to champion for flexible work and time off from the job? These acts send a powerful message to your employees and team members letting them know that if senior leadership can balance (as much as possible) work and family, they can too.
Offer Onsite Perks
Many deem daycare an expensive nightmare. Consider offering on-site daycare for your employees. If this is not an option, offer to absorb some of the cost. When companies are truly inclusive, they can recognize behaviors and stressors to help better navigate issues and tend to your workforce.
Embrace The Duality
If we focus too closely on the inherent challenges of being a working parent, we may become distracted from the transferable skills that parents naturally develop. Enhanced capabilities such as time -management, communication, people management, problem-solving and organizational skills become a career-catapult not a career killer and benefit the organization.
Many companies, struggle to create a culture where their team members can balance work and life. In the process they, unfortunately, fail to realize that providing parent-friendly work perks, and fully supporting working parents not only benefits employees and their families, it also increases employee retention making the return worth the investment.
Learn more: Working Parents Feel Burnout at Work: What Should HR