It’s critical that employers do more to help employees juggle the obligations of work and home.
Recent research shows that one of the primary reasons working parents consider quitting their jobs is intense stress and burnout.
For example, a recent national survey by child-care provider Bright Horizons, found that 90% of working parents “are stressed at their jobs;” “three in five (61%) describe their stress as overwhelming;” and that “without consistent access to child care [these parents] … are most at risk for leaving their current jobs (48% vs. 32%).”
A second recent survey—conducted by the Harris Poll for KinderCare (another child-care provider)—also should ring alarm bells. This one indicated that 40% of parents “are open to or actively seeking new jobs,” but that more than half would stay if child care benefits were offered by their current employers.
Our own research indicates that such findings are true not only for those parents who traditionally work in offices—many of whom transitioned to remote work during the pandemic and continue to work from home—but also for “deskless” workers: frontline factory, distribution, transportation, hospitality, health care, public safety and retail employees (among others) who have to physically “show up” every day, pandemic or no pandemic. And here’s a needed reality check: Some 75% to 80% of all workers fall in this latter category.
So, if you want to know why companies are struggling to increase (or even sustain) production levels, this may be the answer: employees with children are so stressed, in some cases overwhelmed, they can’t give their jobs their all—or, worse still, they’re dropping out of the labor force.
This helps explain why nearly two million fewer women are working today than before the pandemic.
And as employers will tell you: They’re needed. Especially since we still have more than 11 million unfilled jobs in the United States and other countries are experiencing labor shortages as well, especially in the skilled trades.
That’s why it’s critical that employers do more to help employees juggle the twin burdens—or “joys,” if you prefer—of work and home. They should think of it as helping themselves by helping their employees.
There are three core areas to address: caregiving support, flexibility and culture.
Caregiving support. Wherever and whenever possible, organizations should provide childcare support for both office and “deskless” workers. The importance can’t be overstated. Some employers are getting the message. For example, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard—a private research organization in Cambridge, Mass., with about 800 employees—established on-site daycare early in the pandemic. Bright Horizons told NPR that it launched 23 employer-sponsored childcare facilities in 2020 and 2021. This is a good start; but much more needs to be done.
Flexible schedules. Our research, done as part of Future Forum, indicates that even more office workers want flex in time (95%) than flex in place (79%). Organizations should give their managers the flexibility to organize team meetings, brainstorming sessions and other team activities so they are convenient for caregivers. That may mean doing away with early morning and late afternoon activities. Doing so probably will produce better attendance and a more relaxed and attentive team. As an example, the San Francisco-based software company, Dropbox, has established daily “core collaboration hours”: four hours a day (that vary by time zone) when people know their peers will be online and can schedule meetings or just reach out for help. But Dropbox also gives employees the freedom to choose when they work outside those hours so they can better fit work around their lives, instead of vice versa.
This also needs to happen for deskless workers. Many retail organizations have implemented, or are experimenting with, shift “marketplaces,” which allow employees to swap shifts. Starbucks introduced a scheduling app tool, Teamworks, in 2019. Schedules are posted on the app 14 days in advance and workers can click a shift they want to swap and notify eligible, available colleagues. Interested colleagues respond and the swap is approved by the store manager. Target rolled out a similar scheduling app with shift swapping features last Fall.
Supportive culture. Companies that want to attract and retain talented and responsible employees should recognize that parents take both their home and work responsibilities seriously. That’s why collisions between the two create stress. And when forced to choose, working parents often choose to find a new job.
That’s why companies should focus on three key cultural elements:
1. Abandon the flexibility stigma: Reward outcomes, not hours. A culture built around showing up early and staying late are hallmarks of some companies, some industries and, unfortunately, some leaders. With flex work now so common, leaders can no longer rely on face time or hours worked. In fact, that was always a weak tool: hours present aren’t outcomes. Measuring and rewarding people for their efforts and accomplishments creates a more-level playing field.
2. Redesign perks: Leaders need to redesign perks with retention in mind. Fitness benefits, great snacks, and entertainment-fueled happy hours are great, but they’re mostly aimed at a younger crowd. New and enhanced benefits such a childcare support, “meals to go” to make family dinner easy, and virtual tutors can help time-pressed working parents and make work and caregiving more livable.
3. Look around the table: As an article in Fast Company suggested recently, executives need to “look around their tables” to see who’s represented, and who’s not, in their leadership teams. Without the voices of parents with young children at the table it’s too easy to unintentionally forget parental stresses and needs. Leaders also should spend real time with deskless workers in their plants, distribution centers, stores, and other business locations. Listening to their pressure points will help leaders find solutions.
The exciting news is that the needs of caregivers are on the radar screens of many organizations. It should be on the radar screens of every organization; it’s in their best interest. The challenge, of course, is to get the details right. This will take a while and vary from organization to organization ... but it will be well worth the effort.
