When I’m working, I feel guilty I’m not spending more time with my children. When I’m bonding with my children, I feel guilty that I’m not cleaning my house. When I’m cleaning my house, I feel guilty I’m not putting in more hours at work….
If you’re a working parent like me, then maybe you’ll recognize this exhausting loop of guilt and overwhelm.
For most companies, a large portion of their workforce are parents. And given the demands that come with raising a family, it’s no surprise that 60% of working parents suffer from burnout as they juggle the responsibilities of work and home
Plus (like with every workplace challenge) if you add in a global pandemic, the consequences will compound.
School closures, loss of child care and exposure quarantines meant that many parents sacrificed work to be home with children. In fact, 1 in 5 men and 1 in 4 women considered downsizing careers or leaving the workforce in 2020. And this issue continues to disproportionately affect women. By the beginning of 2022, all male workers had regained positions lost during the pandemic. However, there are still 1.8 million fewer women in the workforce now than there were in early 2019. Why? According to the National Women’s Law Center, mothers in general take the lion’s share of caregiving activities.
This means companies have lost some valuable talent to parental burnout, and they haven’t earned it all back yet. Perhaps it’s time to review how company policies and procedures affect employees who are parents.
According to Neil Brown, a licensed clinical social worker and author of the Parental Burnout Recovery Guide, “Parental Burnout (PBO) is a condition of chronic emotional, mental and physical fatigue caused by a parent’s unending attempts to meet their
In these cases, work, family and individuals all suffer. Nearly half of respondents in one survey said that burnout undermined their well-being, leaving them anxious, worried, unable to enjoy family time and without the focus they need to fully concentrate at work.
Even though parents tend to have more responsibilities to juggle than their non-parent co-workers, a survey by Great Place to Work uncovered that “parent employees” actually show more signs of dedication to their organizations than their colleagues without kids. It makes sense if you think about it. It’s natural that the responsibility to provide financially for children would magnify the importance of a steady income and benefits. In fact, 71% of workers say the ability to provide for themselves and their families is what motivates them to do their job, according to CareerBuilder.
But it’s one thing for employees to show up and quite another for them to be actively engaged in the company’s success. With employee disengagement at an all-time high, understanding the reasons behind it is more important than ever. (Read: Employee Disengagement: What it Costs and How to Steer Clear)
There are a variety of explanations for why employees may be disengaged, with one of the most significant being stress in their personal lives. And when it comes to parents, much of that stress can be tied back to their responsibilities at home.
Parents deal with many things on a daily basis that that may pull their focus away from the office. They juggle not just their own schedule but one for each of their children. Plus they have the added financial responsibility of paying for childcare, piano lessons, dance, soccer, new shoes, braces, diapers and any other needs their kids have. With so many people begging for their time and money, working parents are forced to play a delicate game of tetris each day as they try to fit everything in.
While employers are indeed one of the many entities fighting for parents’ time and energy, they also have a unique opportunity to be more than just a responsibility. Instead, employers can support their parent employees in a variety of ways that actually take some of the pressure off in other areas of their lives. Doing these simple things makes it easier for employees to focus on their job while they’re at work.
Here are 8 benefits companies can implement to support their parent employees:
In addition to these suggested lifestyle benefits, there are some other pretty simple things to do day in and day out within the office that’ll ease the burdens of all employees. For example, respect their time. With no shortage of things to do, 29% of working dads and 37% of working moms reported “always feeling rushed” in a recent survey. Do them a favor: cut unnecessary meetings and optimize process flows. Not only will employees be less anxious with fewer tasks needed to achieve their goals, but your company will likely generate more revenue too.
For further insights on reducing stress in the office, read: Stress is the Biggest Threat to Employee Engagement. Here’s How to Fight It.