Fighting burnout among parents requires new approaches
Nicole Martin: Stress for working families is a real issue! Maven is a woman led business that provides virtual resources for women and working parents! Check out their campaign on HOW TO MANAGE #STRESS & #ANXIETY as we are #allvulnerable and #human.
Burnout. Stress. Anxiety. The last few years have been especially difficult for working parents. HR departments know that supporting the mental health of employees has never been a bigger priority — or a greater challenge.
Maven commissioned a survey of 1,000 U.S. parents to determine how parents across the country are thinking about child care decision making, and what this means for employers. What we heard is most parents are anxious, undecided, and want more support as they navigate these decisions.
Here are some of the takeaways for HR departments based on the survey.
1. Share resources for parents.
2. Provide parents with support and tools for managing anxiety.
3. Step up mental health support.
4. Implement new policies and practices to show your support.
SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION CAN IMPLEMENT RIGHT NOW INCLUDE:
• Monthly surveys to ask your parents what they need from you and their managers
• Flexible working hours
• Parenting ERGs
• Training for managers to be empathetic to parents’ needs
• Child care benefits
• Easy resources like the COVID-19 Child Care Decision Making Tool
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE KEY FEATURES THAT YOU’RE GOING TO NEED WHEN CONSIDERING AN EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO SUPPORT AND RETAIN PARENTS LONG-TERM:
• On-demand telehealth and virtual support, including mental health
• Help navigating child care and school challenges on top of work
• Access to expert guidance and vetted answers
• Live webinars and virtual classes providing actionable tips
• Easy-to-use, personalized platforms
More info: https://www.mavenclinic.com/post/working-parents-are-reeling-from-economic-anxiety-how-can-we-help
Dos and don’ts for conversations with working parents
Embedding flexibility, drawing boundaries, setting clear goals, trying different schedules, asking for help. With the lines between work and life more blurred than ever, working parents are bringing challenging questions to HR and their managers. How are you approaching these conversations? Share this guide, created with Maven Career Coach Sara Taylor Tans, as an internal reference to ensure you’re talking the talk and truly being supportive.
