Back-to-school challenges for working parents: A Q&A with Wes Burke

Given that in the U.S. 61% of married-couple families are dual income and nearly a quarter are single-parent homes, solving the after-school care gap is a real and pressing need for working parents. In fact, the demand for after-school sitters significantly increases in August on Care.com as parents navigate the transition from summer to the juggling act of coordinating school drop-offs and pickups while managing their work responsibilities.

Wes Burke, CHRO of Care,com, an online marketplace for care of your whole family, believes that employers can create a support system to help parents take the back-to-school season in stride.

Why is back-to-school challenging for working parents with school-aged kids?

On top of the stress of preparing kids with school supplies and new routines, back-to-school brings about scheduling headaches for parents, which start at home and trickle into work. After settling into summer routines with their kids, parents are soon enough back to square one in figuring out childcare to cover the after-school care gap, the time period after the school day ends but parents are still finishing up their work day. And just when parents piece together their care plan for the semester, they’re bound to face schedule hurdles when a child gets sick or school closes on days they’re scheduled to work. 

How do these back-to-school challenges impact work?

Back-to-school childcare challenges have a direct impact on work, often putting parents’ professional and personal responsibilities in a standoff. When schedules collide or care falls through, parents are apt to call in from work, prone to missing important meetings or risking project delays. For employers, they are likely to see heightened absenteeism during the back-to-school season, as well as a decline in productivity as parents try to juggle their full workload and balance back-to-school schedules.

What can managers and employers do to support working parents during this time?

At the manager level, communication and flexibility can make or break a working parent’s ability to handle their plate along with the important needs of their home life. Flexibility will look different based on the teammate’s situation, but leaders should encourage and train managers to work with their teams to accommodate things like shifts in work schedules to manage after-school care or no-meeting times around pickups and drop offs. Managers can open the door to these conversations by asking curious questions about how a parent’s kid is adjusting back at school, or proactively sharing their own back-to-school schedule adjustments if they have children.

Related: Working parents are looking for help beyond flexible work arrangements, study finds

While back-to-school particularly intensifies parents’ childcare stress, it’s a year-round obstacle for working parents. By putting childcare benefits in place, like access to caregiving platforms, backup care days, and childcare stipends, parents won’t have to panic about who’s going to watch their kids when they’re in a childcare pinch, no matter the situation. And not only will working parents have more support, but according to Care.com’s Future of Benefits Report, employers will see an impact to their bottom line, with HR leaders reporting that childcare benefits have a direct tie to productivity (80%) and talent retention (78%). With these support systems, employers can help parents take the back-to-school season in stride.