5 Ways to support working parents post-COVID

childcare.bloomberg
Tomohiro Ohsumi

Before the pandemic, working parents were exhausted. A year and a half into the crisis, they're at their wits' end.

When the pandemic hit, working parents’ schedules stretched from sunup to sundown as they added the responsibilities of teacher, nurse and nanny to their already-hectic days. Sixty-five percent of working parents (whose children participated in remote learning) have experienced burnout as a result of the pandemic, according to a 2020 survey by Eagle Hill Consulting.

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Forty-two percent of the parents surveyed say the main reason they are struggling is due to balancing their professional and personal lives, while 32% say it is because of time pressures.

“For our company it's very important that we provide flexibility and a working environment where the parents feel welcome,” says Gita Bhargava, chief operating officer and co-founder of Global Upside, an HR, compliance and payroll company. “On the first day that we talk to them we let parents know they should provide us with their kids’ schedules so they can block their calendars and work around it. Family well-being is important and as a top leader, when you do that, people start to feel okay.”

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As the vaccine rollout continues and employers begin to think about what the future of work will be, they must make considerations for employees who have created a new routine for their families. Here are five to prioritize.

Provide flexible schedules

“We have made it very flexible for people so they can make sure they can work around kids’ pickup and drop-off,” Bhargava says. “They can get their work done anytime they need to and they are welcome to take time off if they need to spend time with their children.”

Provide holistic benefits

“We have provided more mental health and well-being benefits,” Bhargava says. “We started an employee assistance program and we also paid for 100% of risk insurance, so that’s life insurance, short term disability and long term disability, because a lot of states don't have short term disability and with the pandemic people are getting sick and they are worried about financial support. We also offer live sessions for yoga and cardio three times a week to all employees for free.”

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Promote healthy eating

“When we were in the office I started to see a lot of fries and a lot of other junk food,” Bhargava says. “We stopped that as a company and started to provide fruits, veggies and healthy snacks. Because of that, what I hear now is that at home, employees remember what we did and they stopped all the junk food.”

Don’t give up on remote work

“We are going to provide choices and let employees decide whether they want to come back to the office or work from home,” Bhargava says. “When employees come back to the office, I will be okay with them working remotely if they need to, or if they need to be at their kids’ school, they can start their work early in the morning and take the time for events or functions.”

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Connect with employees on non-work topics

“We have multiple hour-long zoom calls with employees to talk about what challenges they are facing and to support each other,” Bhargava says. “I want to continue that and not jump right into a business-goal discussion.How's your life? What are you looking for? What challenges do you have that we can help with? I'm finding that very productive. Twice a week we spend time talking about each other's challenges. Other employees were providing help based on what they had gone through.”
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