How to Support the Employees Who Are Parents

February 21 2020 - Parenthood is one of the most common milestones we will reach during our careers, and it is a mistake for employers to see this as a burden. Parents are actually more likely to be hardworking employees, as they won't want to spend any time job hunting or else risk their family's stability. If they are cared for, you can enjoy their talent and expertise for years, if not decades, while they raise their family.

Parenthood is not a burden, but an opportunity for employers and HR departments to provide support and earn loyalty.

1. Provide or Subsidize Day Care Costs

If you want your employee to come back to work and work hard, instead of worrying about their baby being left at daycare or with a nanny, then you need to make it easy for them to choose work. A lot of parents will quit their jobs if daycare costs end up being more than what one parent makes. Some companies, like Patagonia, offer on-site daycare for working parents. This has enabled them to retain every single one of the working mothers who work for them and have kids. This also promotes a healthier work/life balance where hardworking employees still get to be the kind of parent they always promised they would be.

2. Offer A Choice of Benefits

Benefits should not be offered to everyone. Instead, create a list of options that your employees can then pick and choose based on where they are in their lives. This way, you can better support your employees at every stage.

3. Offer Development Opportunities to Their Children

Shadowing days, internships, and even the possibility of subsidizing the cost of guidance consultants can go a long way towards ensuring your best workers stay with you for decades. For example, you could offer summer internships to your employees' children so that they can get incredible experience even before they go to university. You could alternatively offer to subsidize the cost of hiring a consultant from firms like ASM Scholarships that will help athletic kids achieve a sports scholarship and launch their career.

There are so many ways that you can aid in the ongoing development of your employees' families. These options are not excessive but should be seen as the right way to support the family that have been working to help build your business over the last few years.

4. Offer Guidance and Support

You won't always be able to support your employees in the best way possible, so ask for advice and suggestions and be available to offer the same counsel to your employees. Your workers should feel like they are in a safe space to come to you when they are in need of help. Some parents will need more support - perhaps they will require Flextime or remote working days - while others will need a more hands-off approach.

Being the type of employer who can help their employees adjust their working day to provide the same level of work while being a better parent is something that is not offered regularly. Your employees will recognize this and will work exceptionally hard to stay at your company and help you achieve your goals.

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