How to Support Working Parents
Being a working parent is no easy task.
As the end of summer approaches, parents all around the country are worried about what the school year will look like. The COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, despite increasing vaccination rates. Businesses are delaying their planned reopening dates, and mask mandates are returning in municipalities around the country. The potential of another year of balancing both work and school at home is something that most families are not eager to repeat.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40% of families in the US have children under the age of 18. Of those families, 64% are families with both parents working outside of the home - about 30 million families total. That’s not counting the nearly 15 million single parent households in the US. We all know that affordable and reliable childcare is a luxury that many families struggle with, and this crisis has only gotten worse during the pandemic.
Put together, it’s no surprise that families are eyeing the coming school year with worry. And there’s a direct correlation to the workplace. The Invest in Parents report, spearheaded by PL+US, found that “1 in 5 working parents said that either they or their partner are considering leaving the workforce to care for their children.”
The childcare and caregiver crisis is a complex one, and there aren’t any easy solutions. But there are ways for businesses to make a positive impact on the lives of employees who are parents and caregivers. When they balance budgetary and equity considerations with empathy, businesses can provide a combination of flexibility and support to employees who are in caregiving roles.
Flexibility at (and from) Work
Most businesses have pivoted in the last year to have more flexible workplaces, including providing flexibility in how, when, and where work gets done. Continuing this flexibility is going to be paramount in the coming months as parents and caregivers navigate back to school responsibilities. Some things to consider include:
Continuing flexibility of scheduling for employees, even after you “return to the office,” such as allowing employees to work non-traditional hours or compressed work weeks
Plan your return to the office thoughtfully and intentionally, allowing for as much flexibility and sensitivity as possible
Revisit your leave programs, including PTO, vacation and sick leave, as well as your paid parental leave programs, to allow people to take time off as needed
Review how you are defining “families” and “caregivers” in your policies. Today’s families often look quite different from the traditional nuclear family, and policies should be updated to be inclusive of this reality.
Create a Culture of Empathy
Babies gurgling in the background of a phone call, school-age children interrupting a Zoom meeting to ask for help with a homework assignment - we’ve all been there this past year. Parents report making difficult and exhausting compromises to make it all work - skipping a child’s recital or a game to focus on work, or working well into the night to catch up on work they weren’t able to do during the day because they were helping their child. In either case, they end up exhausted and likely not performing either role as well as they could be.
Business leaders and managers can lead the way in setting the norms and expectations, and they can set the pace in developing a culture that acknowledges and understands the unique needs of parents and caregivers. Encourage employees to prioritize their lives and work responsibilities in a way that works best for them.
Companies across the board have done what they can to support their employees. For some, this includes providing additional family leave so employees can care for their loved ones. Others have been explicit in telling their employees to care for their families first, making it ok for work to come second. Still, others are providing stipends for food delivery, subscriptions to Care.com, or other means to connect employees with resources and support
Some of our favorite resources include:
Child Mind Institute has a wealth of resources for parents, including how to support children with anxiety, learning disorders, or autism.
Khan Academy has long been a recognized leader in the world of online learning, and they’ve responded to the COVID-19 crisis by creating even more resources to support families who are balancing schooling at home with other responsibilities.
Wide Open Schools provides templates and sample schedules to help parents create structure during their day. They also provide age and subject-specific resources, tools for learning and thinking differences, and a toolkit for equity and social justice conversations.
Many businesses claim to be “family-friendly,” or that they welcome the “whole person” when they hire new employees. How we as business leaders support our people is the best way to actually demonstrate that we actually mean it.
Not sure where to start? We can help you craft a paid leave program that gives your team the peace of mind that they’ll be supported in their caregiving responsibilities. Reach out to ask us how. Already have a paid leave policy? Great! Consider signing on to the PL+US campaign, and join hundreds of businesses calling on Congress to enact a national paid leave policy so no families are left behind.
