Being a parent while holding down a job can be extremely challenging. From juggling childcare to taking time off when kids are sick, parents have a lot on their plate. As an employer, you have a major role to play in supporting your staff who are parents. Here are 7 tips for creating a family-friendly work environment:
1. Offer Flexible Working Arrangements
Allowing flexible schedules is one of the most important things you can do for working parents. Options like flexitime, compressed hours, telecommuting, and job sharing give employees the ability to manage their work and family responsibilities. You could let parents alter their start and finish times, work remotely certain days, or shift their hours to be early or late. Such flexibility allows them to do school drop-offs/pick-ups, attend appointments and events, and be available when their children are off sick.
2. Provide Generous Parental Leave
Go beyond the statutory minimums for maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave. Offer enhanced policies like extending leave durations and providing full pay (rather than just statutory pay). Make sure employees who are fostering in Essex are also eligible for appropriate leave. You could even let new parents take some leave in a piecemeal way (a couple of weeks when baby is born, more later on). Such leave policies show your commitment to helping employees balance work and family.
3. Offer Childcare Support
Provide tangible help with childcare costs through subsidies, vouchers, or on-site nurseries. Or, consider allowing parents to bring babies and young children to work occasionally when childcare falls through. This provides peace of mind that they won’t be penalised or forced to take unplanned leave. You might also partner with local nurseries to secure priority spots for employees’ kids. Such support takes the stress out of managing childcare.
4. Create Family-Friendly Spaces
Make your workplace welcoming to families by having parent-child rooms. These private spaces allow new mums to breastfeed or pump milk. And they enable parents to tend to sick kids who sometimes have to tag along to work. Also, consider amenities like high chairs in canteen areas and sit-down kids’ spaces stocked with books/toys for when parents need to bring children to the office.
5. Offer Employee Resource Groups
Facilitate peer networks like parent forums or new parent buddy systems. Connecting employees with shared experiences provides social support and advice. You could also create informal parents’ groups on workplace chat platforms like Slack. And be sure to promote related resources like employee assistance programmes offering expert guidance on family issues. Such initiatives help working parents feel less isolated.
6. Lead with Empathy
Train managers to treat employees with understanding when family needs arise. Make it clear that parents won’t be judged for leaving “on time” or requesting time off for a sick child. Create a culture where parents aren’t expected to apologise or feel guilty about family commitments. Managers should set an example by demonstrating empathy for employees’ personal circumstances. This ensures parents feel comfortable putting family first when necessary.
7. Promote Family-Inclusive Values
Make parental status a protected characteristic in your equal opportunities policy, like gender, race, religion, etc. Explicitly state you value employees with family responsibilities equally. Discourage any “presenteeism” culture that favours long hours in the office. And call out family-friendly practices during recruitment. Such visible commitments to supporting working parents will attract and retain parent talent.
Creating a parent-friendly environment requires a multipronged approach spanning leave, flexibility, childcare support and more. But the payoffs for your business and staff make it well worth the effort. Supporting working parents leads to more engaged, productive employees, reduced turnover, and greater talent retention. So, be proactive about implementing policies that help employees achieve work-life balance. Your organisation will reap the rewards.