The back-to-school season is a stressful time for working parents, frequently juggling the demands of work with the needs of their children. As we know, these additional stresses for employees can have a direct impact on engagement, performance, and job satisfaction. By offering benefits that support working parents, you can help ease the transition.
Bentek’s Tips to Support Working Parents
Flexible working arrangements:Â
This could include the ability to work from home, flex time, or compressed workweeks. Flexible working arrangements can help parents save time and money on childcare, and they can also give them more flexibility to attend school events and doctor’s appointments.
We know that flexible work is a topic that gets brought up frequently today, but for good reason. It allows parents to be more available and present for their families, and according to KinderCare, 69% of parents feel more involved in their child’s life because of modern work schedule being more flexible.
School-related leave:Â
This could include paid or unpaid leave for parents to attend their child’s school activities, such as parent-teacher conferences or field trips. School-related leave can help parents stay involved in their child’s education, and it can also give them peace of mind knowing that they have time to take care of their child’s needs.
Childcare support:Â
Childcare support is a significant factor for working parents when selecting positions and organizations to work for. In the same KinderCare report, 60% of working parents reported they would stay in their current jobs if they had subsidized child care.
This could include providing financial assistance for childcare, or it could involve offering on-site childcare. Childcare support can help working parents afford childcare and give them peace of mind knowing that their child is in a safe and supportive environment.
Education benefits for children:Â
This could include tuition reimbursement, or it could involve offering discounts on educational resources. Education benefits can help working parents give their children the best possible education, and they can also help reduce the financial burden of college.
Health benefits for children:Â
This could include health insurance, or it could involve offering discounts on health care services. Health benefits can help working parents ensure that their children have access to quality health care, and they can also help reduce the financial burden of medical expenses.
In addition to the benefits listed above, employers can also do other things to support working parents, such as:
- Be understanding and flexible:Â Employers should be understanding of the challenges that working parents face, and they should be willing to be flexible with work schedules and deadlines.
- Promote a family-friendly workplace:Â Employers can create a family-friendly workplace by offering on-site childcare, providing lactation rooms, and sponsoring family-friendly events.
- Encourage communication:Â Employers should encourage working parents to communicate with their managers about their needs. This will help ensure working parents get the support they need to succeed.
Benefits are a critical component of keeping employees happy and engaged at work. Childcare benefits are a useful tool to have in your arsenal as a Benefits Administrator, with 76% of working parents saying childcare demands influence their job decisions, according to Yahoo! Finance. By taking these steps, employers can help working parents succeed in both their careers and their families and in turn, increase retention in their workforce.
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