In a recent article on BenefitsPRO, UrbanSitter CEO and co-founder Lynn Perkins shares 5 strategies to better support working parents now and post-pandemic for employers. In addition to summarizing the challenges currently facing working parents, Perkins outlines helpful tips for evolving company benefits and policies to have a meaningful impact on working parent burnout and attrition.Â
Haven't read the article? Here's the executive summary.
The state of working parents one year into the pandemic
- With 1 in 5 working parents considering quitting their jobs during the pandemic, the time to act is now. 33% of parents say it’s now harder to balance work and family responsibilities than a year ago when the pandemic first began.
Forecast for the remainder of 2021
- With school schedules likely to remain inconsistent through the fall, working parents will continue to need flexibility in their schedules.Â
- Companies like Ford, Target and Salesforce are allowing office employees to work from any location or follow a hybrid model post-pandemic.
- The “work from anywhere” mentality will alter the type of care people look for, shifting preferences from in-center daycare to in-home nannies and sitters.Â
The employer’s playbook to support working parents
- Know your parent employee population. Consider funding a parent employee resource group within your organization that develops initiatives to foster productivity and retention.
- Solve the biggest pain point first. For most organizations it’s childcare, and there are a range of solutions to fit needs and budgets. Employers like One Medical provide their doctors and nurses with backup childcare and company-paid credits, while others like PwC offer a suite of childcare benefits including reimbursements, tutoring services, protected time, compressed workweeks and sabbaticals. Other companies offer flexible work schedules.
- Balance urgency with long term strategy. Carefully consider how relevant solutions will be once the urgency passes.Â
- Select the right partners. Seek recommendations from HR executives, thought leaders and employees as a starting place. Align on success and utilization expectations.Â
- Lean into differentiated offerings. From mental health services to elder care support, there are many ways to help employees. Find what aligns best with your company’s values.  Â
What employers can do beyond benefits
- Lead by example encouraging leaders in your organization to share how they are working with kids.
- Reduce meetings and schedulesÂ
- Offer flex-time to let employees choose their working hours.
- Encourage employee-to-employee support by starting a parents Slack channel.
- Base goals on output versus facetime
- Get involved with government legislation through organizations such as PL+US, Paid Leave for All and Caring Across Generations.Â
 Read the full article on BenefitsPRO now.
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