Over the last year, our homes have become our new offices, schools, and daycares. Parents not only became remote workers, but also full-time stay-at-home parents and teachers for their kids who were learning at home.
As offices and schools have begun to reopen and welcome students and employees back, many working parents aren’t interested in returning to the old work environment.
According to a FlexJobs survey, 61% of parents want to continue working remotely full-time, with 37% wanting a flexible, hybrid work model. 62% said they would leave their current employer if they weren’t able to continue working from home.
Why do parents prefer remote work?
The biggest reason cited for wanting to continue remote work is that it reduced or eliminated the need for childcare during the workday.
This poses a significant cost savings for parents. In 2020, the average cost for child care in the U.S. for one infant was $11,180 per year. This is unaffordable for most families, especially with multiple children.
Parents also appreciated the improved work/life balance and increased flexibility during their work day. The extra time at home allows parents to spend more time with their families and tend to other responsibilities that are important to them.
Not only do parents feel unsafe returning to their office buildings, they feel uncomfortable with their kids going to child care centers, and fear a lack of health and safety measures being implemented.
What are other resources that workplaces can offer?
Along with offering permanent remote work, there are other ways that employers can support their employees with children.
One option is to allow for flexible working hours. Especially with younger kids at home, you’re often tied to their own schedules and routines.
If an employee is completing projects by the deadline, hitting their success metrics, and contributing to your organization, be understanding and trusting of them. Forcing them to work during “traditional” work hours or not being supportive when they have to take some time during the day to tend to their kids might hinder their productivity or worse: make them start resenting you as their boss.
If someone is working flex hours or is stepping away for a moment, ensure they are communicating with coworkers about their plans. A couple of easy ways to do this is by setting a Slack status or an automatic email reply warning of their delayed response.
Also, the leadership and management team should lead their teams by example. If they need to take some time out of the day to parent, they should communicate that. This shows other parents that they shouldn’t feel guilt for needing to step away.
Additionally, ensure managers are limiting emails and other communication to Monday through Friday working hours. Even if a parent is working flex hours during the week, they still need their weekends to refuel and recharge.
Inequality and employer support for working parents
According to USA Today, not all employees feel equally supported by the measures companies are taking to support parents.
82% of white parents reported feeling supported by their employer, compared to 77% of Latino parents, and only 72% of black parents. This imbalance also extends to gender, with 85% of working fathers having adequate support, compared to only 77% of working mothers.
Employers must include support for working parents within their inclusion efforts, and ensure that every working parent receives the same level of grace and understanding, regardless of race or ethnicity.
In a traditional office environment, employers usually focused their support efforts for “visible parents,” such as new, biological mothers. They may have offered lactation rooms and varying lengths of paid maternity leave, depending on their policies.
However, this is too narrow of a focus to adequately support all types of families. Parenthood is a demanding job for anyone, whether they are a man or a woman, gay or straight, biological parent or adoptive.
Offering diverse and inclusive resources is necessary and will help all parents to feel welcome and supported.
In conclusion
Working parents are an integral part of your organization. Ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs are being met is necessary to retaining them as an employee. As the world continues to change and priorities shift, teams will expect their companies to adapt as well.