Why the 'new normal' isn't normal for parents and caregivers, and how employers can help
The pandemic brought about a reshuffling of priorities, with a focus on enriching activities and time spent with loved ones outside work.
We’re on an optimistic path out of the pandemic, toward some semblance of what could be called a more “normal” reality. As we carefully track variants and vaccination rates, we’re also charting a path, in many cases, back to in-person work.
As we strive toward whatever the workplace of the future looks like, however, there needs to be recognition that parenting and caregiving—and their relationships to work in America—have been fundamentally and irrevocably changed. This is especially true for women and members of the BIPOC community, who left the workforce in greater numbers during the pandemic to care for children or family members, as well as the millions of Americans who still face extremely difficult choices and circumstances when it comes to balancing work and family life.
Even for families with more financial security and fewer caregiving stressors, the pandemic brought about a reshuffling of priorities, with a focus on enriching activities and time spent with loved ones outside work.
Related: Caring for caregivers: Moving beyond traditional benefits
Parenting and caregiving are team sports. We all know that creating healthy and happy families takes a village. As we continue to evolve the post-pandemic workplace, the most progressive and forward-leaning companies are recognizing and adjusting benefits and services in kind. And critically, they’re becoming a key part of that village itself.
So when it comes to returning to some of the trappings of pre-pandemic life, the truth is that the workplaces we’re returning to—and the support systems employers are offering—should be anything but “normal” by pre-pandemic standards.
After a year-and-a-half of pandemic employment and parenting, there are new anxieties for working families, who have had to constantly adjust to ever-changing guidelines, caregiving situations, and economic upheaval.
We’ve kept a close eye on the stressors facing families through a series of polls and studies over the course of the pandemic. Some recent highlights:
- A full 49% of parents report anxiety about going back to work. For users of our pregnancy and fertility apps, those levels of anxiety are slightly lower—at 43% and 37% respectively.
- Parents and pregnant women are extremely concerned about their capabilities to find childcare as they return to work. Forty-three percent of parents said they were stressed about childcare as it related to returning to work; 40% of pregnant women reported the same.
- We’ve seen marked increases in depression and suicidal ideation during the pandemic, particularly among women first-time moms, women aged 35-39, and women in the BIPOC community.
- Even as anxiety peaks among parents and parents-to-be, there’s a lack of clarity around the support that may be available from employers as employees transition back to in-person work. Only 11% of parents and pregnant women said their employer has offered new resources to help with re-entry. Fourteen percent of our fertility app users reported the same.
The transition to remote work at the start of the pandemic was undertaken hastily out of necessity. A fast shift to in-home work quite literally saved lives. But now, as employers are asking employees to return to the office, they have a new opportunity: to be thoughtful and discover the needs of families of all compositions. After all, this isn’t—nor should it be—a return to “normal.” This is an opportunity for employers to affirm inclusive cultural expectations and help employees thrive.
Here are a few elements that should be part of every employer’s back-to-work plan:
New, publicized programs and benefits that take into account the mental health struggles employees have faced over the course of the pandemic
The alarming increases in depression and suicidal ideation, especially among first-time moms, women in general, and women in the BIPOC community specifically, signal the need for broad psychosocial support and access to coaching. Ensure that you have benefits in place to help employees with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, trauma, and other challenges. Beyond simply having resources in place, feature them prominently.
As employees are returning to work, talk about them in emails, newsletters, and town halls, and place them front and center on your benefits website. You could also consider creating a mental wellness resource hub for employees, with webinars, Q&As, self-assessment tools, and more. Company leaders should be driving these messages home and leading by example.
Programming and policies that recognize families come in all compositions
You likely have a diverse set of families among your employee base. From multi-generational homes to LGBTQ+ families, to single parents or families with particularly young children, the needs of each family differ greatly. Supporting parents’ transition back to work means providing the right navigation support, connecting them to the right benefits, and creating a flexible culture they need to be effective at juggling for a multitude of caregiving scenarios, including those involving family members with complex health needs, aging parents, and more.
Outlets for peer support
As important as traditional mental health benefits like counseling care, peer support is also incredibly effective—and something that’s been made more difficult to access in many ways amid the pandemic. Provide benefit tools that allow parents and employees to connect to other parents and families through online forums and support groups, outside of the four walls of your business.
The recognition that it takes a village
The pandemic was difficult for everyone, but especially for working mothers. In fact, one in four women considered leaving the workforce since the pandemic began, as opposed to one in five men. To further curb the trend of women and mothers leaving the workforce, employers need to ensure that spouses and partners have the benefits, flexibility and cultural OK to take on caregiving responsibilities.
An environment that fosters open dialogue
Working parents can be afraid of being seen differently than other employees. It’s important that parents don’t feel like they have to hide their kids or their parenting responsibilities—or their anxieties around coming back to the office, for that matter. Make sure your teams are comfortable openly discussing what’s on their mind as parents, and encourage managers to champion values of work life flow for employee well-being. Encourage everyone on your team to bring their whole selves to work.
It’s worth noting that not all of your employees will avail themselves of extra support. But having support structures in place—and talking about them openly— fosters employee belonging for everyone in the organization.
At the end of the day, family life and professional life cannot be mutually exclusive or at odds with one another. The pandemic brought to light how much it takes to make work and life, work. And for many families, redefining a new “normal” will take some time. As leaders, some of the most meaningful steps we can take aside from evaluating robustness of family-friendly benefits and policies, are making it clear that those with caregiving responsibilities are seen and valued. Rather than opposing forces, workplaces can and should be part of their village.
Paris Wallace is CEO and co-founder of Ovia Health.
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