The impact of parenthood on professional careers

The importance open and honest communication has on running a business and managing employees cannot be stated enough. Studies find that creating a support system in which working parents feel heard and are encouraged to discuss their problems they are facing is essential in ensuring they are able to return to work.

Leaders must encourage managers to engage in open discussion and carry out regular check-ins with team members. Facilitating and soliciting individualised feedback deepens relationships and builds trust and helps employers figure out how best the organisation can better cater to the needs of its people.

Caring for a child is incredibly time-consuming and exhausting and without the right support employees can feel disengaged and start to check out. As leaders, we must understand and work with our people. We must recognise the individual differences and talents of our team members and work on drawing them out. We must be there for our people in good and in bad times and support them in their personal goals.

When employees know that their managers are willing to work with them to overcome issues and help them grow, the workplace is a much better place to be. Not only does it build trust and loyalty, but it also makes people feel valued and want to give the business their all.

Smart companies realise that it’s no longer good enough to provide working parents with basic benefits and vague policies. To meaningfully transform the workplace into a more parent-inclusive environment, companies must identify the challenges working parents face and work towards introducing more effective parental leave policies, childcare benefits and work-life balance measures. For companies, the pay-off for supporting parents in such a way can mean greater engagement, increased productivity, higher morale, longer employee retention and better teams talent attraction.

With the pandemic, the concept of workplace flexibility has exploded in popularity and the term ‘hybrid workplace’ has become increasingly common. There are a host of unique ways in which flexibility can be implemented to help working parents make the most of both worlds. Some flexible working arrangements that employers can adopt to make the workplace more parent-friendly include remote working, flex time, job sharing, compressed work weeks and reduced hours. Whether employees work remotely or share job duties with their co-workers, having a flexible working arrangement provides many benefits to both you and your people.

As a business owner, you have the ability to ensure the policies and infrastructure of your organisation can cater to parents. This will help them make greater contributions to your business and ensure they have a healthy and happy work-life balance. Simply put, your people will be more engaged and eager to return to work as they know they are supported and can manage both sides of their life without having to choose one over the other. In return, this will lead to increased employee engagement and employee trust.

Fostering a culture of inclusivity at the workplace is vital in ensuring that your employees are heard and appreciated. After all, it is with an inclusive work culture that people feel respected and valued and give the best of themselves.