Retain and Support Parents and Caregivers in the Workforce

In honor of Mother’s and Father’s Day, I thought it would be a great time to talk about parents and caregivers in the workforce. Becoming a parent or caregiver is very stressful; I know first-hand from experience as a mother to three children. I was recently asked by a Purdue University student how am I able to manage being a parent, working full-time, and completing my doctorate degree (Somedays I ask myself the same question). It ultimately comes down to having open and honest communication with an understanding employer and having a great support system in place (and quite a bit of sleepless nights). I am not alone either; according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19% of employees are considered a caregiver and 40% have households with children under the age of 18. That means over half of all employees in the United States care for another person outside of work.

Here are five ways I believe companies can retain and support parents and caregivers in the workforce:

1.????? Offer flexible work schedules.

Have you ever tried making a doctor’s or dentist appointment for yourself?? Chances are, you had to take time off work for the appointment.? Most of the time, doctors and dentist’s offices are open Monday-Friday, 9-5, making it difficult to schedule the appointment outside of typical work hours.? ?Offering a flexible work schedule to employees can greatly assist with those appointments and managing their workload.? The U.S. Department of Labor defines flexible work schedules as “a schedule that is alternative to the traditional 9-to-5-hour work week.? It allows employees to vary their arrival and/or departure times.”.? This could mean allowing an employee to make up the missed time before or after their workday starts or ends or possibly on the weekends.?

1.????? Reconsider the benefits.

Does your organization have parental and caregiver benefits outside of FMLA?? Example of benefits include paid parental leave, childcare benefits, elder care benefits, lactation support, and even just having a mother’s room.? Having parental benefits not only aids the employer and their family, but it also helps with attracting candidates and retention.? According to Forbes, 68% of working parents would be more likely to accept an offer from an employer that offers parental/caregiver benefits and 55% said they would even take a pay cut at their current employer to have childcare benefits.?

2.????? Be inclusive with the definition of parents and caregivers in the company policies.

Family dynamics are changing, and it’s imperative that the policies align with that.? According to research from the National Center for Health Statistics, 63% of women in marriages are with a blended family and over 50% of these remarriages include stepchildren.? The number of single fathers is also going up tremendously.? According to a study conducted by the Institute for Family Studies, the number of single fathers has increased 94% since 1990.? FMLA even defines a parent as biological, adoptive, step, foster, or someone who stands in loco parentis to the employee.? It is important to take this into consideration when building out policies and benefits.? ?

3.????? Offer parental and caregiver resource groups.

Not only are parental and caregiver resource groups a great way for employees to connect and learn from each other, but they can also help with productivity and satisfaction.? ?According to a study conducted by wifitalents.com , employee resource groups can increase sales and productivity by more than 20%, and employees are 3.5 times more likely to say they are proud to work for their employer. ??That same study also said that employee resource groups decrease employee attrition by 33%.?

4.????? Ensure there is open communication with leadership.

I remember watching the news several years ago and there was a Taylor Swift fan being interviewed with a blanket over her face.? She wanted to remain anonymous as she was not truthful with her employer and didn’t want to lose her job.? Now, this might be an extreme case, but it does show how fearful this person was to take off in general, let alone be truthful to her employer.? Her poor communication correlates with a lack of trust in leadership.? Honesty, integrity, and communication all go hand in hand and have an impact on productivity.? According to Pumble.com , effective communication results in a 25% increase in productivity.?

In conclusion:

Parents and caregivers make up over 50% of the workforce, making it crucial to support them.? Employees want to have open communication with their leadership and can provide and support their families as well.? By offering flexible work schedules, reconsidering the benefits, inclusivity in the definition of a parent or caregiver, organizing parental or caregiver groups, and ensuring there is open and honest communication, will lead to the retention of these employees at your organization.

Thank you so much for reading my blog.? I hope these 5 tips will help your organization find ways to be more inclusive to parents and caregivers in the workforce.? Do you have any success stories with changes at your organization?? Please reach out with any suggestions or feedback, I would love to hear from you!? Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter titled “All Roads Lead to Recruiting” to see all future postings.

To learn more on how to attract, qualify, and onboard more driver candidates, with EBE’s recruiting solutions, please call 309-350-2066, send an email to [email protected] , or visit www.ebeships.com .