“When companies are better for parents, the business enjoys greater innovation, productivity and retention of great talent. And their co-workers thrive too,†says the report by Maven and Great Place to Work®.
Working parents have experienced a different kind of burnout in this pandemic. The pressures of work and childcare (compounded in an environment driven by anxiety) and a pandemic that has gone out of control have tremendously affected them. Workplaces that have tuned into these issues and helped working parents are likely to see better outcomes from their workforce than others.
For instance, identifying data from Best Places For Parents 2020, Parents at the Best Workplaces™ – The Largest-Ever Study of Working ParentsOpens a new window (email required) finds that at these companies:
- 92% of employees are willing to put in more effort
- 92% would endorse the company
- 89% would work at the company for a longer time
The report published by Maven, a virtual health clinic for women and parents and, Great Place to Work®, the authority on workplace culture that publishes the best places to work list every year, covers data from over 440,000 parents on how their companies are supporting them through the COVID-19 pandemic in the past year.
Burnout Measures for Parents Must Acknowledge Intersectionality
That working moms have been bearing the brunt of an extended workload both personally and professionally, is known. But this study highlights a rather uncommon factor in addressing burnout – race. For example, 33% of Black mothers experience burnout – the highest compared to all other working parents. 25% of white mothers experience burnout.
It has also been established that women’s workplace growth will stall without attention to workplace intersectionality. Mothers are 28% more likely to experience burnout than fathers are experiencing. There are 2.4 million estimated additional cases of burnout due to unequal demands of home and work. The drivers of burnout are different across different genders and races. And when companies aim to provide support to working parents, they will need to acknowledge and then address.
HR Technology News: Working Mothers Have High Stress Levels: The Mom Project’s Report May Reveal Why
Parental Support in the Workplace Should Be a Lifelong Benefit
Just paid parental leave is not enough. Companies falling in the Best Workplaces list have done more than just this – for instance, Bank of America provides a fertility benefit to women to help them grow their families. 78% of companies offer childcare benefits, while 33% offer to subsidize childcare costs.
“With two million women dropping out of the workforce so far this year, we’ve rolled back decades of progress on gender diversity — a reality that has massive implications for businesses for years to come,†said Kate Ryder, founder and CEO of Maven. “Employers need real, proven strategies and solutions, and they need them now. As this report makes clear, the best solutions are not perks. In fact, the pandemic has revealed how hollow much of that was. Instead, what stands out are real investments in stretched populations that help attract and retain diverse perspectives at all levels of a company, which is ultimately what drives innovation and growth.â€
HR Technology News: Working Parenthood Gets Support From a New Employer-Paid Benefit
Parents Can Be Supported Through a Range of Benefits
The report also highlights that companies that support working parents do so through a range of benefits: providing mental health support and childcare support, easing financial worries, and offering flexibility, among other support.
Among the 181 Best Workplaces for Parents finalists, 79% of companies say helping parents is their top priority, second to mental health and well-being.
Finally, this key finding can help companies identify why they need to support their working parents more and give them an environment to thrive in: “When working parents are free of burnout they are 35 times more likely to recommend their employer and 20 times more likely to stay.â€