The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly thrown us curveballs. Parents had to quickly adjust to working from home while balancing remote learning for their children — not to mention attempting to be productive with the entire family in the house for weeks on end.
Being a working parent has always been precarious, regardless of the circumstances. But with the pandemic, whatever little structure that existed before has pretty much dissipated. By July 2020, 13% of working parents had to exit the workforce or reduce their hours to care for their kids due to pandemic-related challenges. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation reports that 1 in 5 working parents don’t know whether they’ll be able to return to their jobs entirely.
The data also tells us that the childcare crisis exacerbated by COVID-19 is negatively impacting women more than men. McKinsey estimates millions of women are debating leaving the workforce, often due to childcare burdens, with women’s jobs at an estimated 1.8 times more at risk because of the pandemic than men’s jobs.
Now, organizations are trying to figure out how to best support their working parents who can return to the office. Although it’s a difficult time, employers have a unique opportunity to show their commitment to working parents to support and retain them. Here are five ways organizations can foster an encouraging and positive environment for working parents.
1. Review changing job needs and demands
Aligning our needs and job requirements is essential for our job satisfaction, productivity, and wellbeing. However, both needs and job requirements can change over time, so it’s important to evaluate them regularly, especially in the context of the pandemic. Working parents, and mothers in particular, faced record levels of burnout due to the impacts COVID-19 has had on their work-life balance.
Mothers are 28% more likely to face burnout than fathers due to caregiving needs, and 33% of Black mothers are experiencing burnout, compared to 25% of white mothers. The consequences of burnout are real, and one of the best ways to get around it is to review how much work we’re putting on the plates of working parents. Returning to the office, when child care options will ideally be available again soon, provides an excellent opportunity to review, refine, and refresh roles and responsibilities with burnout in mind.
2. Offer relevant benefits and flexibility
Working parents need financial support and flexibility. Support can come in the form of time off, childcare benefits, or even a monthly work-from-home stipend.
This pandemic is hard on everyone. As you consider the challenges working parents face, think about implementing benefits that would serve all employees. More companies are offering unlimited PTO, mental health benefits, emergency sick leave, and more. These benefits can help employees dealing with major life changes, struggling with mental health issues, facing financial challenges, or taking care of family members.
Introducing flexibility in the workplace is another excellent strategy for supporting workers. Managers can implement new policies such as allowing for flexible hours, reduced schedules, no-meeting days, or even part-time roles and/or job-sharing situations.
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