It's time to step up our support for working parents
As we continue to evolve the way we support working parents--during the pandemic and beyond--here are some things to consider.
HR leaders today are facing challenges we’ve never experienced before. Many of us are managing a remote workforce for the first time and are tasked not only with ensuring our employees feel supported but also with maintaining productivity and business continuity. Some of us have had to make difficult decisions around reducing headcount or adjusting compensation. Others are supporting employees whose work requires they be onsite. This is no easy feat.
Top of mind for many of us is how to support our working parents, as we know this group of employees is facing unprecedented challenges, juggling working, parenting, homeschooling, and potentially also taking care of sick or elderly family members. Even before the pandemic began, we know that many companies–even those with the best intentions–have struggled with attracting, retaining,and supporting working parents.
Related: 5 best, 5 worst states for working moms
The statistics are glaring: 73% of moms state that they “love their careers” but 43% of women leave their job within a year of having a baby. In addition, 14% of mothers and 10% of fathers experience postpartum depression within the first year, which can have a significant impact on productivity and absenteeism.
While these challenges can feel daunting, we also know that our employees are looking to us more than ever before. According to the recent Edelman Trust Barometer Survey, people are more likely to believe their employers than social media or government websites when it comes to getting information about the pandemic. We now have a great opportunity and responsibility to build trust with employees–parents and non-parents alike–the results of which can pay dividends for businesses for years to come.
As we continue to evolve the way we support working parents–during the pandemic and beyond–here are some things to consider:
Listen first
When we at Maven started working remotely in mid-March, I had plenty of assumptions about what parents needed to make this new situation work. I quickly learned that this is not the time to be making top-down decisions, and that what one parent needs might not be the same as any other parent. We’ve found that listening to our teams and meeting them where they are, rather than creating blanket policies in a vacuum, has been the best path forward. From regular surveys and pulse checks to virtual roundtables and Slack channel discussions, empower your employees who are parents to be part of the solution.
As we think about connecting with working parents and listening to their needs, being inclusive and ensuring all voices are heard is also critical. Parenting and caregiving responsibilities take many different forms, so tapping fathers, single parents, and same-sex couples for their feedback and ensuring they have the same level of community and support at work is key.
Engage non-parents
Every family is different and has different needs right now. Some employees may start their workdays later or end earlier to account for caregiving responsibilities. Others might prefer to block hours of time throughout their days to manage childcare, while some may need to block out days where they have no meetings at all. Being flexible is the only way to support working parents right now. And that doesn’t mean compromising results. Focusing on setting clear individual objectives and goals, and emphasizing outcomes over hours empowers working parents and their teams to be more productive in ways that work for them.
But as HR leaders, permitting schedule flexibility for working parents simply is not enough. To support working parents, we must engage our non-parents, too. Working parents’ schedules have to be respected by all, which means meeting times may need to be adjusted, deadlines may need to be extended, or others may need to jump in to help critical work get finished. It is impossible to expect working parents to perform at the same level they had been when childcare was available. Every employee needs to understand that these days, it takes a village.
Invest in mental health
Mental health in our country is especially fragile right now, and we HR leaders can make a meaningful impact here. 1 in 4 employees in the U.S. want more mental health support from their employer, and that was before COVID-19. Now more than ever, employees are looking for mental health support from their employers, whether through existing mental health benefits or access to telehealth platforms where employees can get virtual counseling or treatment.
Outside of offering more concrete investments in employees’ mental health, companies can support their employees by offering a mental health day for employees to use at their discretion, hosting group meditation or mindfulness sessions, committing to a regular block of time per week with no internal meetings, or limiting email use in evening hours.
Foster community
Working parents can offer a lot to one another right now, and we can help be the conduit for that. Giving working parents a forum to ask advice, share photos of kids, or even commiserate are ways to foster connection and remind working parents that they’re not alone. Offering opportunities for parents to include their children in work-sponsored activities can also help. At Maven, we have held a virtual Halloween in Spring for our kids, recorded employees reading their favorite childrens’ books, and recently welcomed some of our employees’ children at our all-hands meeting in honor of Mother’s Day. These moments allow us to lean into the situation and hopefully come out as a stronger community.
Our ability to support working parents is being tested right now. Let us seize this opportunity to create equitable workplaces that truly support working parents for years to come.
Karsten Vagner is vice president of people at Maven.
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