Fostering inclusivity for parents in the workplace
A supportive environment is vital to setting parents up for career success. Uncover the challenges parents face at work and strategies for empowering them.
Balancing childcare responsibilities with work can be an overwhelming prospect for many. As a result, becoming a parent can have significant career ramifications, particularly for new mothers.
From physical and mental exhaustion to reduced earning potential and stunted career growth, parental responsibilities can have a big impact on mothers looking to succeed in the workplace.
So, with 76% of mothers currently in employment, the highest level of the last 20 years, it’s more important than ever before for employers to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where all working parents can thrive.
In this article, we’re taking a closer look at the challenges working parents face and the strategies you can implement to manage these difficulties and unlock their full potential at work.
The challenges working parents face
Together with the Fawcett Society, we surveyed thousands of working parents with children aged four or under and 500 HR decision-makers to gauge the state of play for mothers at work, how employers are accommodating them and the challenges they face.
We found a fifth of mothers have considered leaving their jobs due to lack of parental support, with 11% quitting over the issue.
The key challenges mothers still have to contend with in the workplace include:
- Parental burnout: Being a parent means taking on a lot of additional responsibilities, leading to tiredness, increased stress levels and burnout. Recent research from the charity Action for Children found that 82% of UK parents have demonstrated at least one of the warning signs that indicate parental burnout, with women more likely to be affected than men.
- Job security anxiety: Many new parents require adjustments to balance parenting and with their job. They often find their role has changed following parental leave, sometimes feeling like they’ve been replaced. Our research found that 34% of mothers suffered a loss of confidence when they returned to work, with 22% finding their job responsibilities were reduced.
- Financial concerns: According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the UK has some of the highest childcare costs in the world. Meanwhile, our research shows that 35% of mothers find it difficult to afford childcare after returning to work, struggles which can often have a negative impact on mental health.
- Work-life balance: Factor childcare responsibilities into the mix and work-life balance becomes even harder for parents. We found that 39% of mothers struggle to balance work and childcare commitments upon returning to work, with 27% of fathers reporting the same. Currently, just 31% of mothers have access to the flexible working arrangements they believe would enable them to effectively manage childcare responsibilities.
- Stunted career growth: Many parents may face difficulties progressing in their careers as they juggle childcare commitments. We found that 44% of mothers felt more ambitious after having a baby, but 79% face barriers when trying to advance their careers, while two-thirds of women feel their career development suffered after becoming a mother.
The benefits of supporting working parents
Aside from being the right thing to do, creating an environment that supports the needs of working parents contributes to a healthier and happier workforce for employers. However, that isn’t the only benefit for organisations that provide comprehensive support for parents at work.
There are several highly desirable outcomes that employers can leverage by implementing robust policies and support for working parents. Let’s take a look at the three most significant.
1. Boosting organisational reputation
According to our research, 72% of working mothers view organisations that offer family-friendly benefits more positively than those that don’t. Even when extended to the general working population, this figure remains high at 66%.
As a result, by offering these benefits, employers are able to:
- Build loyalty amongst their existing workforce
- Widen talent pools for future recruitment
2. Improving employee retention
Organisations with high levels of staff turnover constantly need to source and hire new candidates, which can be both expensive and time-consuming. However, by fostering loyalty in the workforce, employers can see tangible improvements in employee retention.
The implementation of family-friendly benefits packages can help employers retain more talented individuals in the workforce. Our research shows that 73% of HR leaders believe providing more family-friendly support is a sound investment, with 48% citing increased retention as the reason why.
3. Appealing to candidates
With organisations across the board competing for top talent, employers are constantly looking for innovative ways to differentiate themselves to appeal to candidates. Having a positive reputation for providing enhanced parental support can do just that, with 69% of HR leaders believing this support increases employee attraction.
Our research found that 91% of working parents say family-friendly benefits (like flexible working and extended parental leave) are key when deciding on a job offer. Furthermore, 61% of UK workers view employers who offer fertility benefits as more attractive, with four in 10 more likely to apply for a job at a fertility-friendly organisation.
How employers can create a supportive environment for parents
So, the benefits of supporting your employees who are parents at work are clear. But how can you work to actively create this supportive environment? Let’s take a look at some key strategies.
Provide bespoke training for line managers
While the majority of mothers (69%) feel supported by their bosses when returning from maternity leave, more than a quarter (27%) feel uncomfortable discussing their needs with their supervisor, which reflects gaps in manager training.
To prevent working mothers from feeling this way, employers can implement training designed to ensure managers are equipped to support working parents. This can include upskilling managers on actively listening to the needs of their direct reports and facilitating more open and honest communication.
Allow more flexibility
When asked about the support they want to help them balance work and parental responsibilities following maternity leave, flexible working is the top priority among new mothers. However, only 31% are currently offered this flexibility, which is the cause of major problems for new parents.
As a result, employers should look to find patterns of work and conditions that suit them and their employees. This can include compressed hours, adjustments to start and end times, hybrid working arrangements, and, where possible, fully remote working to support employees upon their return from maternity or paternity leave.
Encourage working parents’ support groups
Being a parent at work can be an isolating experience, especially for new mothers or those working from home. We found 15% of returning mothers frequently find themselves excluded from social and networking events and 41% said this leaves them feeling detached from their colleagues.
Employers can address this by facilitating the creation of support groups or Employee Representative Groups (ERGs), either in-person or virtually, empowering parents and allowing them to share their experiences. This can provide parents with the social support they need to feel empowered, understood, and motivated at work.
Foster development opportunities
As highlighted above, many new parents feel more ambitious than ever when they return to work. Unfortunately, a significant number also feel they come up against barriers when it comes to career progression.
This means that employers shouldn’t assume new parents don’t want to progress or are less ambitious just because they are juggling work and parental responsibilities. Instead, they can help them to thrive professionally by offering them challenging work and encouraging them to develop their skills with training and upskilling opportunities.
Offer enhanced benefits
Given the challenges working parents face, an enhanced benefits package at work can make sure an employee feels supported and able to reach their full potential in the workplace after having a child.
According to our research, the benefits working parents most want to see their employer offer to help them with childcare are:
- Flexible working (45%)
- Financial assistance (30%)
- Extended parental leave (25%)
- On-site childcare facilities (25%)
This means that, by offering benefits like these, employers can provide working parents with the support they feel they need to juggle work with childcare. Furthermore, given the popularity of these benefits, this can also help employers recruit top talent and retain ambitious parents in their existing workforce.
Support employees going through fertility
It’s important not to forget employees on the path to parenthood and undergoing fertility treatment. Our research shows that 43% of workers who have undergone fertility treatment struggle to juggle work and their appointments, while 92% take time off, some as sick leave, others as unpaid leave.
Unfortunately, many don’t feel confident bringing it up with HR or managers. As a result, even employers who already have fertility support in place should look to implement specific policies, manager training and practices to improve education and support. Doing so can boost inclusion and make an employer more attractive to candidates, particularly those on the path to parenthood.
Empowering parents at work
When considering how to cultivate a supportive environment for parents, employers need to first consider the difficulties they face, particularly mothers and those from minoritised backgrounds or low-income households. Once these challenges are better understood, the process of implementing policies and support for working parents can begin.
Organisations that take this approach will be able to foster an environment that unlocks the potential of working parents, allowing them to contribute their skills, talent and experiences to long-term goals and objectives. Furthermore, these employers can also benefit from a happier, healthier workforce, and an enhanced reputation that makes it easier to recruit the next generation of talent.
There are already a number of organisations putting family-friendly policies in place to support new parents, especially mothers, as they return to work. Find out how you can follow their example in our case study.