With our current economic reality, movements for racial justice, and global pandemic, it’s harder than ever for parents to get the support they need. Especially working parents. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that 70% of parents are stressed about even meeting basic needs for their families during this time.
We’ve been hearing often from Maven members about the unique challenges that this time poses.
Employers can help working parents by implementing flexible schedules, telehealth, parenting benefits, and more. It’s about listening to parents in your company, learning from their experiences, and finding the specific solutions they need to support their families and keep healthy during these trying times.
Below, you’ll find some of the key takeaways we’ve gathered from conversations with our members regarding childcare, telehealth, and parenting.
1. Flexible working hours empower parents
Finding a way to address the unique needs of working parents within your organization is key. And chances are, you’ve already put certain measures in place to help.
For instance, in a May 2020 survey, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) found that 73% of employers have started offering flexible working hours to accommodate the needs of their employees. Updating your company’s policy on working hours is critical right now.
Research has demonstrated that “when workers have full autonomy over their working hours,” they’re more productive. Giving parents the ability to choose their working hours can allow them to do better work without being bogged down by daytime distractions.
2. Support starts with HR (and managers)
Beyond just setting a policy, your organization’s leadership needs to take an active role in providing support for parents. That means training managers to be open and empathetic to parents’ needs right now, and giving managers the tools they need.
There are many manager training resources, including our updated Checklist for Managers, that your team can leverage to ensure that parents are getting what they need.
If your leaders are parents themselves, make sure they demonstrate best practices by sharing out when their working hours shift and keeping their calendars updated.
3. Return-to-work support for new parents is more essential than ever
There are many people, some of your employees among them, who are becoming parents or growing their families during this tumultuous time. Guiding parents through the return-to-work transition with benefits and support can replace the traditional support systems that are no longer available. And by making the experience of early parenthood better for your employees, you can ease their return-to-work transition.
For new mothers, breastfeeding and lactation support are key. New parents are also looking for access to OB-GYNs and pediatricians, support with infant sleep training, mental health counseling for postpartum depression or anxiety, access to career coaches, and more.
Telehealth can fill gaps in care for your employees with unlimited access to specialists across all these areas, so that they’re healthy and have the support they need when they return to work.
%20(1).png)
.svg)
.jpeg)
