New benefit aims to support employees going through a divorce

Divorce is an emotionally difficult and disruptive force in the lives of millions of people, and managing the complexities before, during and after divorce can impact productivity at work – not just for the employees immediately impacted but for their co-workers and teams as well.

A survey from Good Housekeeping in partnership with co-parenting app SupportPay found that 70% of the workforce is impacted by divorce at any given time, and employees going through a divorce frequently experience work-related disruptions including long-term lost productivity (81%), increased absenteeism (73%) and a decline in health and financial wellbeing (67%).

Yet companies rarely offer benefits aimed at providing support to people going through a divorce or dealing with co-parenting arrangements. That’s why SupportPay launched what it said is a first-of-its-kind employee benefit that is designed to help working parents navigate some of the complexities of divorce. The co-parenting solution, which has been available for four years, automates and manages child support payments, expenses, custody arrangements and communication.

The company now plans to work with companies to offer free access to the platform to co-parents as an employee benefit. The goal is to alleviate many of the financial and emotional stressors associated with divorce and co-parenting that can impact productivity.

“The pandemic was a hardship for working parents, and it highlighted the struggles these employees are facing,” says Sheri Atwood, founder and chief executive officer of SupportPay. “In response, we’ve seen forward-thinking companies implement supportive family benefits, such as expanding paid family leave, paid adoption leave, and fertility treatment coverage, to name a few. However, companies are leaving behind employees who are struggling during and after divorce or separation.”

Related: Single women lag their married counterparts in retirement readiness, says study

Offered as a self-service benefit, SupportPay is not tied to annual enrollment. In addition to helping mitigate productivity losses and reducing absenteeism, the platform can reduce payroll administrative costs incurred by wage garnishment and child support orders, and it can protect company security by keeping confidential and private information off of company servers and infrastructure, the firm said.

MetLife Legal Services now has a partnership with SupportPay and publishing company Hearst Corp. has rolled out SupportPay’s benefits program to all of its 12,000 employees as part of an effort to expand family-friendly policies that accommodate various stages of life.

“Going through a divorce can be a stressful and emotional time, impacting mental health, financial wellness, and productivity,” says Maria Walsh, senior vice president and head of global benefits at Hearst. “It’s important for our company to show our employees that we care about their well-being and are committed to supporting them through any of life’s challenges.”

Kristen Beckman is a freelance writer based in Colorado. She previously was a writer and editor for ALM’s Retirement Advisor magazine and LifeHealthPro online channel.