A 2024 Working Parent’s Survival Guide

Navigating the dual responsibilities of a demanding career and dedicated parenthood can be overwhelming. As a working parent, you face constant challenges and stress. This guide offers practical techniques to help you manage and thrive in both roles.

More than 50 million Americans juggle jobs and child-rearing, finding it difficult to balance work and family responsibilities. This issue is global, affecting millions of parents.

Five Core Challenges of Working Parenthood

1. Transition: Adapting to changes like returning to work after parental leave or adjusting to new childcare arrangements.
2. Practicalities: Managing daily logistics, from childcare to household chores and work tasks.
3. Communication: Discussing working-parent matters effectively with colleagues, bosses, partners, and children.
4. Loss: Coping with missing important family moments due to work commitments.
5. Identity: Balancing professional and parental roles without losing sight of personal values.

Effective Strategies for Working Parents

1. Rehearse Transitions: Practice returning to work routines or introducing new childcare arrangements to identify and resolve potential issues.
2. Audit and Plan: Review your calendar and to-do list to eliminate unnecessary commitments and create more time for family.
3. Frame Communications: Clearly communicate your plans and commitments to colleagues and family, aligning professional and personal goals.
4. Use “Today Plus 20 Years” Thinking: Focus on immediate tasks and long-term goals to manage current stress and envision future benefits.
5. Revisit and Recast Your Professional Identity: Define new standards for balancing responsiveness at work with being present at home.

Adapting After the Pandemic

The pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for working parents, but it also fostered resilience and adaptability. Many parents have now adjusted to the new normal, finding innovative ways to balance work and family life.

While every working parent deserves recognition for their efforts, it’s important to acknowledge that parents need ongoing support from their organization. Employees should not wear themselves thin juggling work and home life – leaders must create a strategy to address this.

Be Flexible on Routines for Working Parents

Perhaps the most valuable resource you can give your staff right now is flexibility. With the dual responsibility of childcare and work, many parents are looking mournfully at their schedules, and asking - are there enough hours in the day?

Flexible schedules are a way to recognize the changes employees are facing. It allows staff to manage their time in a way that reduces their stress and improves their productivity.

Ask employees how many meetings a week are useful for them. Avoid overscheduling – a daily check-in creates much-needed routine. Beyond that, ask yourself, is this really necessary?

Employees might benefit from starting their workdays later or ending earlier. Offer the chance for blocks of time during the day devoted to home-schooling and childcare.

Don’t be afraid to mix things up - a typical 9-5 routine may no longer work for the parents on your team. Some may work better in the evenings when there are fewer distractions. Your employees know how they work best – ask for their input.

Create a Community of Working Parents

Sometimes just having someone to talk to can really help. Connect parents in your company through an employee resource group.

Colleagues can share tips and tricks on home-schooling – and a space to vent. Reminding employees that they are not alone is hugely reassuring.

Create a working parent Slack channel for small talk and funny memes – you’ll be amazed how a little humor goes a long way.

Speak to Your Employees One-on-One

The pandemic affected everyone in different ways. It’s important to schedule a one-on-one meeting. Talk to each employee on your team individually to personalize your approach.

Some employees are more productive than ever. Some working parents have more support than others. The point is, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Having an empathetic conversation with each employee will help highlight any problem areas.

Ask employees how they feel about their current routine. Would greater flexibility help them to avoid burnout?

Switch on video for this call and start on a light-hearted note. Often, working parents feel anxious about their manager’s view of their performance. Make it clear from the outset that the one-on-one is for their benefit.

Ask questions that engage the employee – this is an opportunity for employees to speak and for you to listen. Employ your active listening skills. To do this, paraphrase what the employee has said every now and then, for example, ‘What I’m hearing is that you feel overburdened with work at the moment’, or ‘Sounds like you are saying that a different routine would help’.

From the employee’s perspective, you are taking a genuine interest in their concerns. Listening is a way into empathetic conversations – something your teams are greatly in need of at the moment.

Questions to ask working parents during one-on-one meetings:

• Would greater flexibility in your working hours help you to get tasks done?
• Do you have the resources you need, both for your work here and home-schooling (e.g., an extra laptop to separate tasks)?
• Would you like to connect with other working parents on our team for support?
• What can I do to support you better?
• Are you feeling overwhelmed by your workload?

Use Your Benefits Program

These are extraordinary times, and your employees need extra support. Use surveys to ask what your employees need – from technology to healthcare benefits to support for home-schooling.

Online tutoring is a great resource to provide for your working parents. It helps ensure their kids’ education doesn’t suffer – and gives them an hour’s respite to focus on work or take some time for themselves.

If restrictions allow, you could also offer on-site childcare. Parents can drop their kids off and enjoy a quiet working space for an afternoon. You may be able to benefit from a tax credit for supporting your employees with childcare – the Internal Revenue Service lets companies claim back 25 percent of the cost.

Reassess your healthcare benefits and Employee Assistance Program. Does your program provide counseling and mental health support? According to Great Place to Work, 9.8 million working mothers are suffering from burnout. Sustained levels of stress can cause longer-term problems such as anxiety or depression.

Counseling gives parents the tools to manage their stress. Combined with greater flexibility and an empathetic culture, this is an excellent way to support your employees.

Encourage Employees to Use Their Paid Time Off

The pandemic postponed dream vacations – but that doesn’t mean we don’t need rest. Unfortunately, we have been working harder and taking less time off during Covid – with the majority of Americans canceling or postponing their time off.

Managers should remind employees of the vacation policy and ensure the process of applying for time off is user-friendly.

Leaders can lead by example and take vacation days for themselves. Be vocal about why this is needed. Hearing a manager say, ‘I’m taking a few days off to recharge’, helps validate working parents who are in need of a break.

So many companies mistake a remote work culture for an ‘always on’ culture. Working parents are juggling a constant mental load. Provide extra wellbeing days to support all your staff.

Be Intentional About Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance has never been more important. With bedrooms and living rooms turned into home offices, employees have no separation between work and home.

For working parents, perfect work-life balance is unrealistic – how can you juggle childcare all day and perform at your best from 9-5? However, managers and HR can create an environment that makes this less painful to navigate.

Respect your employees’ working hours. Working parents, and all employees, need a chance to switch off completely from work. With Slack notifications on our phones, it’s all too easy to forget this.

Give your employees the space they need. Some managers have micromanaged staff during remote work. This reveals a lack of trust and compounds stress for your employees.

Instead, check-in daily. Remember, you never know what is happening behind the scenes. Give employees control over how they use their time.

Make Remote Work Working-Parent Friendly

Make sure you recognize the successes of the working parents on your team. With improved communication and flexibility, your teams will be better engaged and ready for the next challenge.

Want to learn more about how to adjust to remote work? Why not read our article Create a Winning Work-From-Home Company Culture?

PeopleGoal can support your teams during remote work. To find out more, book a demo today.