The Great Resignation is driving companies of all sizes to reimagine the concept of work. Parents, and especially parents of color, are reconsidering their relationship with the workplace in the face of extreme rates of stress and burnout, contributing to record levels of turnover across corporate America.
As employers search for new and innovative ways to attract and retain their people, Maven Clinic went directly to working parents to learn about their motivations and expectations in the new world of work. We teamed up with Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, to conduct the largest-ever survey of working parents.
With responses from nearly 500,000 working parents representing more than 1,700 companies, the report shows how the Great Resignation is impacting parents, and what industry-leading employers are doing to help sustain them through the pandemic and beyond. Read on for three key takeaways, or get your copy of the report here.
1. Burnout is the biggest threat to working parents
When the pandemic began, many working parents had the rug pulled out from beneath them. They were suddenly deprived of their routines and support structures, and forced to juggle remote work, school, and the existential stress of a global pandemic. Last year’s report found that 9.8 million moms were suffering from burnout. This year is no different.
Why is burnout important? The report finds that it is a leading indicator for attrition, with employees who are experiencing burnout more than twice as likely to leave their jobs.
But burnout isn’t showing up equally amongst employees. Over 20 months into the pandemic, burnout is especially pronounced among mothers of color and young parents early in their careers. The survey found that, compared to white moms:
- Black moms were 47% more likely to experience burnout
- Hispanic moms were 23% more likely to experience burnout
- Asian moms were 33% more likely to experience burnout
Similarly, parents between 26-34 were 200% more likely to experience burnout than older parents, suggesting that traditional support like parental leave is insufficient to support the diversity of needs new parents face. The reality is that the pandemic exposed deep-seated inequities within our society across the board, including how we support our families.
The result? Parents leaving the workforce, downshifting their careers — or heading to a new company that provides more support.
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