How to give working parents the support they need (and deserve)

Given the value and perspective working parents bring to the table, it's a good idea to make sure they're getting the support they need.

The minimum employers can do is give parents the flexibility to build a schedule and working style that suits their needs. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Imagine juggling the hardest job in the world with a 9-to-5. Then imagine add homeschooling and daycare duty to the mix.

This year challenged all of us — but working parents more than most. Survey data consistently shows that they’re more stressed, tired, and rushed than their colleagues. There’s also evidence that the pandemic’s economic impacts disproportionately hurt mothers and exacerbated the gender pay gap.

Related: Addressing the growing paid family and sick leave crisis

You can’t solve problems this big with virtual happy hours or home office stipends. Given the value and perspective working parents bring to the table, you need to take a more proactive, targeted approach.

1. Get a baseline

People-first companies already survey their employees for belonging and engagement. But while company-wide surveys give you a gut check as to how employees are generally feeling, you should look at cross-sections for more telling insights. In other words, how do working parents feel compared to everyone else at your company?

If you’re already looking at engagement by gender, ethnicity, or age, add family status to the mix. If you use HR software to conduct your surveys, you should be able to report on these. For deeper insight, look for outliers in specific departments or changes over time. Discrepancies here will tell you just how comprehensive or targeted your solutions need to be.

2. Normalize flexibility

Of the 98% of workers who say flexibility matters to them, less than half actually have it. And while tech giants like Microsoft and Google have announced plans to let employees keep some of the flexibility they’ve gained this year, cases like these still don’t represent the norm.

Raising a family doesn’t lend itself to predictable scheduling. If you have school-age children, that’s especially true right now. The minimum employers can do is give parents the flexibility to build a schedule and working style that suits their needs. In practice, this means normalizing “do-not-book” times on calendars, encouraging teams to work remotely when needed, and giving them the autonomy to adjust work hours. For roles that don’t lend themselves to this kind of flexibility, consider offering other forms of leave or time off. While a lot has been said about unlimited time off policies, they can be a useful tool in cases like these.

From my experience, employees will repay you in kind. One survey found that 80% of employees said they’d stay at their companies longer if it offered flexibility. Another found that working parents ranked greater flexibility over higher salaries. While remote work isn’t a benefit in the sense that medical, vision, and dental insurance are, your team still views it as part of their total rewards package.

3. Offer paid family leave

Employees are only entitled to parental leave in California, New York, and a handful of other states. Not helping matters, just 19% of Americans have access to paid leave through an employer. While this affects us all, new mothers are hurt the most, having to leave the workforce and play catch-up for the rest of their careers.

In the absence of meaningful, legislative change, it’s up to businesses to help fill the gap. While there isn’t a “magic number” that works for every company, consider offering at least 12 weeks of paid leave to both full-time and part-time employees. If you want to set yourself apart from other employers, consider offering more generous benefits. Alphabet, Facebook, Square, and Zendesk offer as much as 18 weeks of paid leave.

4. Make perks inclusive

Every year, businesses spend weeks laboring over how to make their benefits and total rewards packages more competitive. But while companies have come a long way in offering perks like tuition reimbursement and gym discounts, many of these cater to single professionals earlier in their careers. Consider offering benefits that cater to those starting families and those already with younger and adolescent children. Some ideas include:

In addition to the above, encourage employees to leverage your employee assistance program. Though most U.S. companies offer some kind of mental health services, just 7% of employees use them. Busy as we are, working parents could probably use an occasional reminder that the services are there.

In many cases, you can also make a difference by adjusting the perks and cultural programs you already have. If part of your employee experience includes regular offsites or virtual get-togethers, make sure they’re inclusive of parents and those with family obligations after work. Additionally, consider creating forums for parents to meet and openly discuss their challenges. Reflecting a broader view of diversity, equity, and inclusion, some companies have dedicated employee resource groups (ERGs) for working parents and caregivers.

Working parents account for a major share of the workforce. Their perspective, insight, and statistically higher productivity make them a critical part of your company culture.

If there’s one silver lining to 2020, it’s that it’s challenged all of us — especially business leaders — to be better and do right by our people. Following some of the above advice can go a long way in showing your support and appreciation for working parents.

Jack Altman is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Lattice. Prior to launching Lattice, Jack was the VP of Business and Corporate Development at Teespring, an e-commerce platform. Jack was also an early-stage venture capital investor in companies like Opendoor, Flexport, and PlanGrid. Jack earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Princeton.

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