With the news that one in four adults are now vaccinated in the US, the once faraway dream of returning to the office is fast approaching. As HR leaders prepare their teams for the impending return, many are focused on the unique opportunity presented by a year or more at home. Namely, the chance to do better by working parents and their families.
Working from home highlighted several opportunities to improve how we support families in the workplace, whether they’re raising infants, toddlers, or teens, progressing through the maternity journey or making plans for starting a family. Despite the unique difficulties they faced during lockdown, the prospect of returning looming on the horizon poses new challenges — and requires new solutions.
The opportunity to do more for parents and families
When the working world scrambled to adjust to lockdowns, many innovative new practices were put into place to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape, like flexible work arrangements, virtual camps and other events, and even support for helping parents talk with their children about sensitive issues like racism and the pandemic. Working from home has had some benefits for parents: employees have been able to save time commuting, make more time for family, and save money on meals, clothes, and travel expenses. A Harvard study found that over 81% of employees “either don’t want to go back to the office or would prefer a hybrid schedule from now on.”
However, beneath these headlines is a palpable sense of anxiety about what the brave new post-COVID world will look like, especially for families. The world might be returning to some semblance of normalcy, but it has indelibly changed. For families, that means finding ways to manage childcare while schools slowly adopt hybrid-learning models. For new mothers, that means managing feeding schedules, separation anxiety, and more. Returning to the office means readjusting to a world where services still might not be available amid the omnipresent risk of another wave of infections.
Working mothers suffered immensely throughout lockdowns. The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation released a report that overwhelmingly concluded that caregiving responsibilities are impacting working parents’ ability to stay productive and return to the office. More than 45% of working parents say their employer doesn’t understand the strain they’re under from COVID-19, and only 32% of organizations planning to return to work have outlined child-care plans. Employers agree. Less than 40% of organizations believe their existing programs do enough to support working parents.
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