When employers force working parents to choose between their job and caring for their children, the employer always loses. If you’re on the verge of losing good employees because of a poor work-life balance, you should consider offering your assets better support. In this article, we discuss how you can offer a better work-life balance for parents so you can attract and retain talent in your workplace.

Why parents are assets to your company

Working parents bring essential skills to your business—multitasking, time management, prioritization, communication, organization, empathy, staying calm under pressure, negotiation, flexibility, and understanding. In addition, parents are incredibly adaptable, resilient, and masters at dealing with distractions and lack of sleep. Aside from their natural talents, working parents can offer new perspectives, diversify your team, inspire innovation, and help promote a flexible workplace.

Work-life challenges for parents

There are never enough hours in the day for parents. It’s a full-time job just to keep up with taking care of the kids and endless household responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, grocery shopping, running errands—the list goes on. Throw on a 40-hour work week, and parents are exhausted come Friday. Did you notice the one thing in the above example that working parents don’t have time for? After tending to all their responsibilities, working parents simply don’t have the time or energy to look after their own health and wellbeing. Fortunately, you can adopt a healthy work-life balance in your workplace by helping take some of the load off your assets—working parents.

15 ways to support a better work-life balance for parents

Establishing a better work-life balance within your company can help you keep top talent in your workplace and build a company culture that attracts new talent. Here are 15 ways you can support working parents:

1. Establish a hybrid company culture

When the pandemic first hit, most parents found themselves without daycare and schools were closed—they had no choice but to work from home. And so, the flexible work schedule began. Parents love the flexibility of working from home, and many dread returning to the workplace. By establishing a hybrid company culture, you can maintain this flexibility and keep your employees happy, engaged, and devoted.

However, ensure your remote employees don’t feel isolated by including them in all communications. For example, when holding meetings, make sure to include your remote employees, so no one feels left out. Arm them with all the tools and equipment they need to succeed at home, and you’ll have happier working parents in no time. Bonus—flexible schedules are attractive to job seekers.

2. Promote asynchronous work

You can also offer flexibility with asynchronous work—not requiring all your team members to be online simultaneously. This type of work allows employees to maximize productivity without waiting for their colleagues to complete tasks. While team meetings are essential, there shouldn’t be so many that they consistently interrupt employee focus or fill their schedule. If you have remote employees in different parts of the world, you also need to consider the difference in time zones—while it may be time for breakfast for you, your employees across the globe may be getting ready for bed.

3. Family benefits

For working parents, benefits packages are just as important as wages. Choose family-friendly packages offering healthcare, dental, family leave, and dependent care. Offering a paid-time-off policy gives parents peace of mind when needing to miss work to care for a sick child or much-needed rest.

4. Develop employee resource groups

Employee resource groups (ERGs) support employees within the workplace. Led by employees, ERGs typically center around things like religion, gender identity, or race, but you can develop one that focuses on working parents. This resource can be an invaluable asset for employee support as it gives working parents an inclusive community to connect with other working parents.

5. Offer professional support

Working, raising a family, and taking care of the household can overwhelm your employees. If you see signs of employee burnout happening in your workplace, consider hiring an expert on work-life balance. Some specialists coach working parents by teaching them tips and tricks on handling their daily routines, so they have an easier time keeping up with work demands while taking care of their family—and themselves.

6. Put employees first

Build a strong company with a healthy culture by putting your employees first. Initiatives like flexible schedules, focusing on productivity instead of time, hybrid work, paid time off policies, convenient family-centred benefits, and encouraging employees to take breaks forms the foundation for a strong company that supports and cares about its employees.

7. Allow customized schedules

Empower your employees by allowing customized schedules. The traditional Monday to Friday 9-5 doesn’t work for many people anymore, especially working parents. Here are some ways you can modify schedules:

As long as your employees stay productive and meet their targets, everybody wins.

8. Ask for employee availability before scheduling meetings

Always consider employee availability before scheduling meetings, check-ins, or catch-up calls, whether in one-on-one or group settings. Working parents rely on their schedules, so any interruptions or adjustments need a warning. Otherwise, accommodations may not be possible.

9. Label communications clearly

Categorizing your communications, especially after hours, shows courtesy and respect. When employees receive an after-hours text or email without any indication if an immediate response is necessary, it causes them unnecessary stress. And not just for working parents. Maintain a healthy work-life balance by including a simple header that says something like:

This small yet courteous step goes a long way toward employee satisfaction.

10. Promote transparency and communication

Practicing and encouraging open communication, honesty, and transparency in the workplace leads to higher-committed, devoted employees. Have your leaders regularly check in with their employees regarding priority management and scheduling; this is a great way to receive honest, constructive feedback and opens the lines of communication to resolve issues before they get out of hand. It’s easier for employees to have a healthy work-life balance with honesty and complete transparency because they never have to worry about what’s going on “behind the scenes.”

11. Start with empathy

Working parents returning to the office require understanding and empathy to succeed. With upside-down schedules and relearning to navigate the challenge of balancing work and personal life, working parents need your support more than ever. Allow time for them to adjust, be supportive wherever you can, and offer alternatives if they need them; this will help improve their engagement and their wellbeing.

12. Emphasize quality over quantity

Your company culture should focus on quality of work over quantity of hours worked. Businesses that haven’t adopted a flexible work schedule find it difficult to retain employees. Why not let your employees work when they work best? Encourage your leaders to promote inclusive work styles and avoid the typical 9-5 schedule if it’s no longer working in your organization.

13. Cover childcare expenses

If you offer a wellness account for your employees, consider expanding it to include childcare for working parents. This benefit is not only appreciated by current employees but will set you apart from your competitors and attract a wealth of new talent.

14. Rename the term “working parents”

The term working parents is not inclusive to all caregivers. Instead, consider rephrasing it to working caregivers. Many working people are responsible for caring for aging parents, extended family members, or foster kids. Broadening the scope beyond just employees’ children is a great support system for all working caregivers.

15. Don’t rush “back to normal”

What may be considered back to normal for some people may not look the same for others. A small percentage of people are back to doing exactly what they used to, but most people still don’t know what their new normal is. As an employer, you want to reach a point where things are stable, business is good, and your employees have a happy and healthy work-life balance. When making plans for the future, keep them to yourself until they are certain. Sharing unconfirmed plans stresses out your employees needlessly.

It’s ok to allow the new normal to evolve, but in the meantime, continue supporting working caregivers so they can have the best work-life balance possible.