Supporting Working Parents: Comprehensive Family-Friendly Policies Are A Win-Win

For many working parents, achieving work-life balance often feels like an impossible juggling act. Between caring for children, managing household responsibilities, and meeting the demands of a career, burnout and stress are all too common. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Increasingly, companies are realizing that supporting working parents with family-friendly policies isn't just the right thing to do—it's also good for business. By helping employees better manage their work and family responsibilities, organizations can boost morale, productivity, and retention.

Here's a closer look at why comprehensive support for working parents is so important, along with real-world examples of companies leading the way with innovative and impactful policies and programs.

Why Supporting Working Parents Matters

The Challenges Faced By Working Parents Are Significant

Trying to balance a career with raising a family is extremely challenging in today's world:

• Nearly half of two-parent households have both parents working full-time
• 41% of working mothers say being a parent has made it harder to advance their career
• 1 in 5 parents have turned down a promotion due to struggles with work-life balance
• Parents are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression compared to non-parents

The stress and pressures faced by working moms and dads take a major toll—on their well-being, relationships, and job performance. When employees are constantly overwhelmed and exhausted, no one wins.

Family-Friendly Policies Benefit Everyone

Supporting working parents isn't just a nice thing to do—it's a smart business strategy. Companies that invest in family-friendly policies and programs see a range of benefits, including:

• Higher employee morale and job satisfaction
• Increased productivity and focus
• Lower turnover and absenteeism
• An advantage in attracting and retaining top talent
• Greater gender equality in leadership roles
• Improved brand reputation

One study found that employees who feel their company supports work-life balance are 21% more dedicated to their organization and plan to stay in their jobs 20% longer. Family-friendly policies are a win-win that strengthen both families and the bottom line.

Supporting Parents Is Key To Gender Equality

Women still shoulder the majority of family caregiving responsibilities, which puts them at a significant disadvantage in the workplace. Inadequate support for working moms contributes to:

• The gender pay gap (mothers earn 71 cents for every $1 earned by fathers)
• The "motherhood penalty" (mothers are perceived as less competent and committed)
• Women being passed over for promotions and high-profile assignments
• Women leaving the workforce altogether

Enabling moms to better balance work and family leads to greater representation of women in leadership, closing the gender pay gap, and a more level playing field overall. As one expert put it: "You can't advance gender equality without supporting caregivers, and you can't grow the economy without tapping into 100% of the talent pool."

Policies & Programs To Support Working Parents

To be truly impactful, organizations need a multi-faceted approach that addresses all the key challenges faced by working parents. Here are some of the most important areas to focus on:

1. Paid Parental Leave

The U.S. is the only developed country without federally mandated paid family leave. But many companies are stepping up to provide this critical benefit. Generous paid leave policies for new moms and dads help them bond with their babies, recover from childbirth, and adjust to parenthood with less stress.

Examples:

• Netflix offers up to 1 year of paid parental leave
• Etsy provides 26 weeks of paid leave for all parents
• Cisco grants 13 weeks paid leave plus $25,000 adoption assistance

2. Flexible Work Arrangements

Rigid 9-to-5 schedules often conflict with family demands like school drop-offs, doctor's appointments, and sick kids. Giving employees more control over when and where they work goes a long way in helping working parents manage the juggle.

Examples:

• Dell's Connected Workplace allows flexible hours and remote work
• Salesforce provides 7 on-demand back-up child care days per year
• Facebook allows employees to customize their schedules to fit their lives

3. Child Care Benefits

Affordable, high-quality childcare is a major challenge for working parents. Providing on-site child care centers, subsidies, or back-up care support can be a game-changer.

Examples:

• Patagonia's on-site child development center is available for kids up to age 9
• Bank of America offers $240 per month in child care reimbursements
• Microsoft's back-up child care benefit provides up to 15 days per year

4. Employee Resource Groups

Fostering community and providing mentorship opportunities for working parents helps them feel less alone in their challenges. Employee resource groups (ERGs) focused on working parents create a powerful support system.

Examples:

• Johnson & Johnson's "Parents & Caregivers" ERG provides helpful resources and events
• Pinterest's "ParentCraft" ERG focuses on supporting parents throughout their journey
• Fidelity's "Mothers & Allies" ERG helps moms navigate career and motherhood

5. Manager Training

Managers play a key role in shaping the daily experience of working parents. Training leaders on how to support their team members with family responsibilities ensures parents feel psychologically safe and sets them up for success.

Examples:

• Google's "Parents@" community provides tips for managers of parents
• Ernst & Young offers training on effectively managing work-life balance
• Accenture's manager training covers family-friendly policies and working parent challenges

Putting It All Together

While the exact mix of policies and programs will look different at each organization, the most successful approaches share some key characteristics:

• They are comprehensive, spanning the major categories of leave, flexibility, child care, community, and manager support. There's no one silver bullet.
• Policies are clearly communicated and easily accessible to all employees. Working parents don't have to jump through hoops to take advantage of benefits designed for them.
• Support for working parents is embedded into the company culture, not just the employee handbook. Using benefits is actively encouraged and modeled from the top-down.
• Benefits and policies are continuously improved based on employee feedback. Companies regularly assess the unique needs of their working parent population.

By taking a strategic and holistic approach to supporting employees' work and family responsibilities, companies can create a powerful competitive advantage. As Serena Williams Ventures President Alison Rapaport said: "The most innovative and successful companies of the future will be the ones that enable all people, including parents, to thrive."

Making Life Work For Working Parents

At the end of the day, supporting working parents is about enabling people to bring their whole selves to work and home. No one should have to choose between being a good parent and having a fulfilling career. As more and more companies embrace comprehensive family-friendly benefits, we can create a future where all working moms and dads can truly thrive.

Building a family-friendly workplace? Discover how comprehensive support for working parents creates a win-win for employees and your business.