Culture Growth Wrk Team Supporting Parents and Caregivers in the Workplace Post-Pandemic Ashley Glovasky Aug 27, 2021 7 mins read Not surprisingly, working parents have a lot on their plate. And struggles have only been amplified throughout the pandemic. At many points in recent times, working parents and primary caregivers were tasked with not only fulfilling work duties from home, but also navigating barriers to childcare and helping their children with online learning. When it comes to the future of work, it’s clear that supporting parents needs to be a priority. In the U.S. alone, 52% of employed parents have children under the age of 12 in the household. How can business leaders support working parents? We share some sad truths about the challenges employed parents face and how business leaders can create a foundation for a more supportive workplace. Gender Inequality Among Working Parents Gender inequality among working parents has been an issue for decades and this continues to be the case today. In a Pew Research study conducted in 2016, fathers reported spending an average of 8 hours per week on child care, while mothers reported spending an average of 14 hours per week on child care. A similar trend was observed when it came to household chores, with fathers dedicating about 10 hours per week against mothers spending 18 hours per week on housework. The U.S. recession brought on by COVID-19 is the first in history to cause more job losses for women than men, with women’s unemployment 2.9% higher than men’s unemployment at the peak of the pandemic. A Catalyst report shed more light on the issue, showing that in October 2020, nearly 3 million more women left the workforce altogether compared to the previous year. A Lack of Support for Working Parents Studies show that overall, many parents have fears of job insecurities and other anxieties due to trying to manage both a full-time job and caring for their children. A Catalyst survey of 1,000 parents across the U.S. revealed shocking realities. Approximately 42% of working parents fear their employment would be at risk if they took advantage of benefits their workplaces offer to working parents, with 39% even worrying that they could be terminated if they did so. In addition, 49% of mothers and 39% of fathers are unaware of plans their employers have in place for parents. The pandemic has also led to some effects that will last long after it ends, with 45% of parents having to revise their career goals/ambitions. 43% of parents say they have been unable to perform at work optimally and 42% feel disconnected from their organizations. Ultimately, these issues can lead to job stress and employee burnout. Business leaders will need to pick up the pieces and tend to these issues to ensure proper support for parents in the workplace, and further, to create a better working environment for parents moving forward. Tips for Supporting Parents in the Workplace Flexibility Offering flexible work arrangements and environments can go a long way. Flexibility can come in many forms, from flexible work hours to providing the option to work from home. In 2021, it was shown that 89% of employees that had the option to work remotely were satisfied with their employer, 15% higher than employees that didn’t have that flexibility. Maybe an employee needs to pick their child up from school or daycare at a certain time every day, but the tradeoff is that they start their workday earlier or have the option to complete it from home. Or on certain days of the week employees are able to work fully remote. Perhaps you can make it clear to your team that you value the work getting done over the time it takes to complete it. Maybe they’d like to work unconventional hours to ensure their children are properly cared for. These are all simple examples of ways to offer flexibility for your team so they feel supported. Communication It is particularly vital to ensure that two-way communication is fluid within your organization and to create an environment in which employees feel they can share any issues they may have, request time off, or ask for help. When it comes to communication, it is also important that employees are aware of any policies you have in place to support them, and this includes any initiatives like parental leave or other policies that could benefit parents and caregivers within your organization. You can ensure your team is aware with the help of automation. With our Send Wrk Action in particular, you can automatically send company policy documents to new employees as part of their onboarding and you can also send regular reminders of these policies every few months. This way, your employees will always be aware of these measures you have in place so that they can use them when they need to. Empathy Ultimately, the key to ensuring parents, and all employees for that matter, feel supported in the workplace is through compassion and empathy. According to Businessolver’s 2021 State of Workplace Empathy Report, only 1 in 4 employees believe empathy in their organization is sufficient. What’s more, 68% of CEOs believe they will be less respected if they display empathy in the workplace. Why is this important? Well, in 2020, it was reported that approximately 700,000 U.S. parents with young children left the workforce, with lack of child care to blame. While some believe that empathy can’t be learned, it’s possible to make some changes. Maybe you’ve noticed at large establishments like malls or grocery stores that there are designated parking spots for expectant mothers that are closer to the storefront. This is one small act that you could look into for your business, especially if you have a large parking lot. By having these spaces and communicating to your staff that you have these spots, you are expressing empathy and creating a safer, more supportive environment for working mothers. You can also consider investing in empathy training for your business. The importance of empathy in the workplace cannot be overstated, as research shows that companies that display empathy can see more earnings and better overall performance than those that don’t. Beyond that, consider booking monthly or weekly one-on-one check-ins with members of your team to get a pulse of their workload, schedules, and issues they may be facing. This ensures that they have a private opportunity to address problems and ask for help that perhaps they wouldn’t have otherwise. Creating a More Positive Work Culture When it comes to supporting working parents, David Li, COO and Co-Founder of Wrk, had this to say: “A quote from Robin Williams comes to mind— ‘Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.’ Every parent has unique needs and challenges. This has been true before the pandemic and the pandemic exacerbated the challenges of being a parent in the workforce. Every company is also different and an employee policy that works for one may not work for another. However, in the wake of the pandemic, employers should be careful about going back to pre-pandemic too quickly. Employees with children take longer to adjust their routine than their non-parent colleagues. We have to be mindful that parents, children, employees, and employers have gone through a lot of changes in the last year.” It’s on every one of us to ensure that our colleagues and leadership teams are supportive of our co-workers who are parents. We must all work together to create a more positive work environment. Check out how our Wrkflows can help you support your employees by giving them the tools to succeed and thrive. Featured Image: Karolina Grabowska Share This Article Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email