As the world becomes more aware of the importance of supporting working parents, many companies are still playing catch-up. It can be challenging to balance the needs of your business with the needs of your employees, but it is essential. It is now fairly well recognized that a satisfied staff makes for a more productive workplace. And a large portion of your staff is likely made up of moms and dads, so how can you contribute to their workplace satisfaction?
1. Offer an Onsite Daycare and After-School Program
One of the most pressing issues for most moms and dads is how their children are faring when they’re not with them. They want to make sure their kids are going to a good school and doing well while there. They want to live in safe neighborhoods where the children can walk or bike down the street. And, of course, they want quality childcare before and after school, so the parents can have peace of mind and focus on work.Â
One way to help ensure parents’ peace of mind is to implement an onsite daycare and childcare program in your office. A room with desks, couches, bookcases, and craft cubbies will keep kids occupied when they’re not in school. You could also have swing sets and other playground equipment installed in an outdoor space for children to get fresh air and movement. Most parents would be thrilled to be able to have their kids in this kind of close proximity.
2. Consider Paternity Leave, Too
Many people who focus on supporting working parents focus almost exclusively on the mother. Obviously, this focus is necessary. At the same time, those same people often fail to realize the importance of supporting working fathers as well. Indeed, supporting dads goes a long way toward supporting moms. Parenting is a full-time job, and it often takes (at least) two people to manage and care for a growing family.
When dads have work environments that acknowledge their critical role as fathers, they are more able to support moms. They also have more opportunities to bond with their children and create a solid family unit. Companies can facilitate these bonds by offering dads paternity leave after a new child is welcomed into the family. Then, fathers can take leave with mothers or after moms go back to work, extending the time the child gets to be home with a parent.
3. Allow for Flexible Work SchedulesÂ
If the pandemic gave the working world a single gift, it was the realization that people don’t need to show up in person as much as they do. Many parents realized how little actual work was taking place in school. And offices had to face the reality that employees weren’t required to appear in person to get a lot of their work done. While flexible work options were just that — optional — before the global shutdown, they suddenly became mandatory.Â
The gift in this shift has been that more companies can now justify allowing parents to manage their own schedules. When you let parents work from home in the mornings and afternoons, before and after school, they are less likely to be stressed out, late, and harried. Flexible work schedules can take many forms, including remote work and job sharing. The bottom line is when you empower employees to manage their schedules, they are happier and more productive.
4. Encourage Career Development
Supporting your employees’ career development and promoting from within are key pathways to improved employee retention. Better retention means a better bottom line because you won’t be spending money on recruiting, hiring, and training new people. Furthermore, parents are more likely to want to have a stable job that offers regular opportunities for career growth. Companies can do a lot to contribute to these positive outcomes.Â
Many businesses have an internal recruitment policy firmly in place. This policy means that employees can expect that if they do well at work, they will be considered for promotions as they come up. You can go one step further by implementing an employee training program open to your staff that ensures they are prepared for these promotions. Working parents eager to rise through the ranks will then be more attracted to your company and more likely to stay.
5. Create a Supportive EnvironmentÂ
Finally, not enough is said these days about the environment in which workers are expected to perform. You can have all the policies in place but if the workplace is not genuinely supportive of parents, those policies may fall flat. Working mothers are still overlooked for promotions or otherwise looked down on for needing to care for their kids. And fathers are still routinely derided for being involved in the care of their children.
This negative attitude toward working parents starts at the top and trickles down. Thus, top executives need to engage in supportive behaviors and language around working parents. Furthermore, working dads should be encouraged to take paternity leave. No medals should be given out to working parents who repeatedly choose work over family. Essentially, don’t just offer the policies; actively encourage them.
In the end, supporting working moms and dads is a relatively new concept in the workplace, so it still has many kinks to work out. Start here, with these strategies, and then make sure you ask working parents what they need and what matters to them. Then, do what you can to integrate their feedback into your work culture. And remember to communicate these integrations with the whole company, so everyone understands the value of supporting working parents.
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