A father works while caring for his children

It’s no secret that the conditions of the pandemic have negatively impacted the global economy, as well as that of the United States. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), this 3.5% contraction is the worst slide in recent memory.

Meanwhile, our goals at work remain demanding. We know that to enjoy revenue growth, we need to retain top talent, increase productivity, and innovate. According to a recent study by Great Place to Work Institute and virtual clinic Maven, the very best workplaces are “investing in benefits that provide continuous care and holistic support for parents at every stage,” including fertility coverage, child care, and breastfeeding support.

When childcare and homeschooling pressures are compounded with financial anxiety, it’s no wonder new parents are sleep deprived and shell shocked. One of the challenges employers face, however, is pinning down what employee benefits we should be offering during this difficult, but also temporary and ever-evolving, moment.

Innovation and increased productivity are a tall order in a global crisis. When you consider that two out of five of workers have underage children at home, however, it pays to determine the best family-friendly actions you can take - and benefits you can offer - to support your working parents.

Offer childcare and homeschooling support

Working parents with children at home are faced with interruptions and multiple priorities. That’s why Carta is offering a childcare stipend and Salesforce has gifted additional paid leave to their employees. Because feeding parents report experiencing elevated isolation and anxiety, offer support, resources and community to parents of young ones, especially breastfeeding mothers, with your employer-branded channel in pumpspotting. Some employers, like Unum and Amazon, are helping their employees who work remotely by offering virtual childcare services like SitterStream.

Whatever childcare and homeschooling support you offer, leaders and managers should set the tone by acknowledging the realities of childcare for both remote workers and those in physical workplaces. Ask employees what obstacles might be in the way of their best work and then help to remove them.

thwart Workplace burnout

It’s staggering: up to half of employee turnover can be attributed to workplace burnout, making burnout one of the biggest opportunities for talent retention. Use these strategies to avoid workplace burnout among the parents on your teams:

Change productivity expectations during times of crisis, says Rececca Zucker for Harvard Business Review. She argues that to support their employees, managers must recalibrate their expectations, at least for the short-term. By recalibrating expectations now, managers will get much more out of their people in the long run.
Offer flexible working arrangements. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 80% of employees said they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options. Encourage asynchronous work, rather than expecting employees to be available immediately via messaging apps. Do like Awin and embrace four-day work weeks without compelling a pay cut.
Change the way you approach performance reviews. Adjust evaluation criteria to account for challenges created by the COVID crisis. Adjust ratings to take into account both home and work obstacles overcome to achieve employer targets. Consider replacing employee evaluations with 2-way feedback conversations, to center on work goals and talk about what obstacles need to be removed to achieve said goals. Ask managers to use the process to help identify ways to support working families.

Be a harbinger of inclusion

It’s not enough to recruit for diversity; we must create inclusive cultures. If inclusion is systematically cultivating an environment that enables “harnessing the collective superpower of diversity,” - and employers pursue that - then they are better positioned to reap the benefits of performance and purpose.

What’s more: underrepresented racial groups are more likely to be working parents and they’re more likely to experience burnout, according to Maven. When companies reduce burnout, their employees are 20x more likely to stay – but those policies need to address the unique reasons for burnout. Supporting parents should be core to companies’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategies, yet we often talk about these two priorities separately.

support Mental health and wellbeing

Establish or revisit your employee assistance program (EAP) to ensure that it not only includes the support your employees need but that the benefits are communicated clearly and employees are encouraged to use the program. Be sure your EAP includes mental health counseling, health checks and healthcare services, personal well-being and enrichment programs, and bereavement counseling.

Encourage breaks from work. Working from home can make it harder to create boundaries between work and personal time. FastCompany makes the case for taking PTO during the pandemic, even if you can’t go anywhere.

SUmmary

There are lots of concrete actions employers can take to support revenue growth via retention of top talent, innovation and increased productivity by supporting parents in their workforce. Identify problems that need solving - like childcare and burnout - and work together with employees to do just that. Offering meaningful family benefits for every stage of parenthood increases loyalty and removes obstacles for employees.

Learn More

It’s powerful to support your working parents. You can increase retention, support recruitment and invest in your employer brand.

Whether you need a breastfeeding policy, lactation facilities audits, or the pumpspotting app to share information, increase engagement, and help employees in an exclusive employer channel, we’re here to help.

How Employers Are Growing Revenue in the Pandemic