Most employers say that supporting working parents is a priority, yet few feel their programs and policies are effective
When working parents thrive in their careers, it’s a win for all involved.
When we look at the state of working parenthood today, we see considerable angst:
%
of mothers don’t feel emotionally or mentally prepared to return post-leave
%
of working parents are experiencing burnout
%
of mothers fear they won’t be up to date on the skills required for their jobs
%
of employees say return-to-work coaching would have helped them feel more equipped after giving birth
%
of working dads feel there is little workplace support for fathers
the estimated cost of replacing a skilled working parent who exits the workforce following parental leave
To find out why, we spoke with dozens of parents, HR leaders, and C-Suite executives. Here’s what we learned:
Parental leave alone doesn't solve the problem.
- 80%+ of new parents cite “mental and emotional wellbeing” and “balancing home and work life” as major concerns during the transition back to work, regardless of the duration of leave
- 43% said return-to-work coaching would have helped them better balance the demands of life and career
General mental health and coaching programs don't cut it.
- These programs don’t holistically address working parent challenges, are unstructured, and are largely self-help, putting the burden on the employee to identify topics, coordinate follow-up, and hold themselves accountable during an already challenging time.
At the organization level, critical cultural elements often go unaddressed.
- Managers and team members are ill-equipped to support working parent colleagues, and parents remain fearful of judgment to take up benefits or ask for flexibility.
Group-based coaching and pre-recorded videos alone don’t deliver results.
- Programs that offer cohort coaching sessions or access to libraries of pre-recorded content do not deliver meaningful results – not to the individuals using those services, nor to the organizations seeking an ROI for investing in the benefit.
The impact of not supporting new parents through the return-to-work transition has far-reaching negative effects.
- While an increasing number of good faith efforts have been made to advance the DEI agenda, failure to support new parents results in loss of talent with disproportionate impacts on females and people of color. Programs and policies are often one-off initiatives that don’t make their way to the fabric of how work gets done within organizations.
Our Results Speak For Themselves
%
Increase in employee re-engagement index
%
