{"id":901,"date":"2019-02-11T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-10T22:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping-ca.local\/?p=901"},"modified":"2026-02-05T20:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:13:50","slug":"how-to-support-working-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/how-to-support-working-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways HR and People teams can support working families"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t6 ways HR and People teams can support working families\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-02-11T09:00:04+11:00\">February 11, 2019<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"6 ways HR and People teams can support working families\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/how-to-support-working-parents\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/author\/jessicafuhl\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/10\/Jess-fuhl.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Jessica Leyshon<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Have I packed their lunches today? Has all the homework been finished? What time\u2019s baseball practice this evening?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents have so much to think about daily that it can often feel like they have two full-time jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Workplaces with parental leave policies are <a href=\"http:\/\/eprints.lse.ac.uk\/20082\/1\/Family-Friendly_Working_What_a_Performance%21_An_Analysis_of_the_Relationship_Between_the_Availability_of_Family-Friendly_Policies_and_Establishment_Performance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">60% more likely<\/a> to report above-average financial performance than companies without them. For workplaces with paternity leave policies, this becomes 93%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making sure your organisation\u2019s doing enough to support working parents is a no brainer \u2013 not only is it the right thing to do, but it contributes hugely to company performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, parents make up a significant part of the working population. Not catering for &nbsp;or supporting them can alienate a large portion of potential workers \u2013 to your company\u2019s detriment in the war for talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are our top tips for supporting your working parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-create-a-genuinely-family-friendly-atmosphere\">1. Create a genuinely family friendly atmosphere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This means encouraging managers to ask all employees about their children, having a \u2018bring your kid to work day\u2019, inviting families to work events and being more patient and flexible, particularly over the school vacations when parents may be scrambling round for childcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It means being more empathetic. Encourage managers to be mindful of parents\u2019 schedules. If they know it\u2019s not easy for them to get childcare, encourage managers to not organise social events in the evening \u2013 do breakfast or a lunch time too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember though, it\u2019s not just parents who deserve such support. This also extends to all employees who need it. You don\u2019t want resentment between parents and non-parents in your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free guide: Why your workforce isn&#8217;t working<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Workforce experiences matter. That\u2019s what we found when we polled over 3,500 workers from across the globe to identify what really counts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Download the research which reveals:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list {\"className\":\"tick-list\"} --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list tick-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The different kinds of workforce experiences that people say drive productivity \u2013 it\u2019s not what you think<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The alarming gap between what employees and employers think is important in the workplace<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The one thing employers need to fix immediately to improve workforce experiences<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>How, and why, HR and People leaders can lead a cultural transformation at work<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-32d984db-9451-4bab-bddf-1db671097566\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-provide-practical-support-from-conception-to-college\">2. Provide practical support from conception to college<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For parents trying for IVF or adoption, allow time off to attend appointments and provide access to counseling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For new mums, consider allowing them to bring their newborns to work, have a private room where they can express milk or, like Johnson &amp; Johnson, offer a temperature-controlled delivery service that lets mothers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jnj.com\/our-company\/helping-our-employees-build-families\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ship breast milk back home while travelling for business<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For parents of young children, consider childcare. If you have the space and resources, you could have an onsite creche, subsidise day care or organise back up childcare for school vacations and business trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For parents of older kids, consider providing exam support or, like Salesforce, offer a college guidance program providing families with assistance on admissions and college financing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-offer-flexible-working-hours\">3. Offer flexible working hours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>81% of employees we polled in our survey, \u2018Why your workforce isn\u2019t working\u2019, placed importance and value on flexible working. Office culture\u2019s changing from one of presenteeism, to achieving results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enabling parents to work around recitals and parent teacher meetings, will help them worry less about fitting everything in and focus on their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-use-data-to-understand-your-workforce\">4. Use data to understand your workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Understand how many working parents you have and what they do; and look out for any attrition patterns. This way you can tease out and address any existing problems. For example, you might find that moms aren\u2019t leaving work as soon as they\u2019ve had kids, but a few years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could pre-empt this by asking managers to discuss work-life issues with employees before that point and work out a way for the company to support them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-ensure-all-policies-are-completely-inclusive\">5. Ensure all policies are completely inclusive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure your policies are inclusive of all kinds of parents and parents-to-be: moms, dads, adoptive, surrogate and grandparents who are the primary carers for their grandkids, as well as those going through IVF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t forget that it\u2019s not just parents who may require support. Some workers may be caring for elderly parents, or other family members. Work and home-life balance is just as important for these employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ensure all your policies and parenting programs are visible and easily accessible; and that employees are not stigmatised for accessing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-set-an-example-through-your-leadership-team\">6. Set an example through your leadership team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure your support goes beyond policies, is ingrained in the company culture and showcased by the leadership.&nbsp;For example, a policy of flexible working is not enough when you have a culture of long hours in your office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workingfamilies.org.uk\/publications\/mfindex2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Modern Families Index<\/a> found that the long-hours culture was damaging family life, with many working mothers and fathers feeling obliged to work longer hours to meet expectations, even if they worked flexibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-happy-parents-means-happy-workers\">Happy parents means happy workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, why is it important to support working parents? Apart from being the right thing to do, it is also vital for productivity. Plus, it\u2019s another weapon that employers can wield in the war for talent. We all know that benefits these days can be more incentivising than money when it comes to recruitment and retainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is it time to revisit what support you\u2019re providing for working families?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free guide: Why your workforce isn&#8217;t working<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Workforce experiences matter. That\u2019s what we found when we polled over 3,500 workers from across the globe to identify what really counts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Download the research which reveals:<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list {\"className\":\"tick-list\"} --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list tick-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The different kinds of workforce experiences that people say drive productivity \u2013 it\u2019s not what you think<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The alarming gap between what employees and employers think is important in the workplace<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>The one thing employers need to fix immediately to improve workforce experiences<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>How, and why, HR and People leaders can lead a cultural transformation at work<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-32d984db-9451-4bab-bddf-1db671097566\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1480030647.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-20ec4af6-53dd-41ab-81ed-95d438e3bb90\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-626184462-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-626184462-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Happy parents make happy workers. Here\u2019s 7 ways to support working parents in your organization &#8211; from flexible working to setting an example from the top.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":2243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[222],"business_type":[9],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[107,103],"imagine_tag":[65,263,25,40,262],"coauthors":[283],"class_list":["post-901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-au","author_name":"Jessica Leyshon","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/SAGE_ATL_CVB_BSNBLR_07_0267.32743.jpg","imagine_tags":{"65":"HR and Payroll","263":"HR processes","25":"HR software","40":"Mid-sized business","262":"Recruitment"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Australia","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/2243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}