Parents undoubtedly are a big part of the workforce, but they also face unique challenges that require flexibility and other help from their employers.
“A lot of parents want to work, but they also need their employers to work with them,” said Maria Amato, senior client partner at consulting firm Korn Ferry.
National Working Parents Day on Sept. 16 recognizes parents in the workforce, as well as the challenges they face in managing both their home and work lives.
Here are seven must-read articles from SHRM about working parents—from the stresses they face to how employers can best support them.
Parental Stress Is a Public Health Concern, US Surgeon General Says
The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a public health advisory for parents, saying they are experiencing record amounts of stress as many juggle work and child care responsibilities.
Mothers and fathers now work more hours than they did four decades ago—while also spending significantly more time on primary child care, according to the advisory. That’s putting pressure and demands on parents and straining their mental health. Over the past decade, parents have been consistently more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults. For example, in 2023, 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month, compared to 20% of adults without children, according to the advisory.
All of that is resulting in a call to action for better support for working parents—including from employers, said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
What’s Working for Mothers
Historically, working moms have been unsupported, unheard, and underappreciated in the workplace. It’s a phenomenon known as the motherhood penalty: the set of challenges mothers face in the workplace, from stifled job opportunities to lack of support and pay stagnation.
But in a growing number of workplaces, the story is being rewritten. The new narrative is one in which mothers, with support from their employers—in the form of flexibility, career opportunities, and robust family benefits—can thrive. And one in which employers can thrive, too, by retaining the unique skill sets that working moms bring to their employers.
For working mothers, employer support can mean the difference between barely surviving and fully thriving in the workplace.
How to Support Working Parents Amid Back-to-School Season
Back-to-school season is in full swing, with its shopping trips, hectic schedules—and complications for working parents.
“Back-to-school season can really feel like a one-two punch for parents,” said Wes Burke, CHRO of caregiving platform Care.com. “Just when they’ve wrapped their heads around the chaos of summer break by finding care and activities for their kids, they’re suddenly thrown into the challenge of setting up a whole new routine for the family a few short months later.”
Not only can this time of year have an impact on working parents, but also on organizations at large, Burke said, often resulting in increased absenteeism and a dip in productivity—two blows to a company’s bottom line.
For many employers, that presents an opportunity to help. It means now’s the time to tout available benefits offerings, from flexibility to after-school care and other child care benefits.
Lessons from One Employer’s Legacy Onsite Child Care Program
A few decades ago, herbs and spices company Frontier Co-op in Norway, Iowa, became a workplace where employees brought their kids. Many farming families worked at the company—men were often out in the field, while women started coming in to do the office work. But mothers, being the primary caregivers, didn’t know what to do with their young children.
“In order for them to work, they needed to bring the kids along with them. So, they just started bringing the kids to work,” explained Megan Schulte, vice president of human resources at Frontier.
Fast forward 40 years, and that informal program has turned into a bona fide child care center—and a huge contributor to the company’s attraction and retention efforts.
“It’s been really, really good for us from a recruiting standpoint and a great advantage to have for any working parents,” Schulte said.
Soaring Child Care Costs Spur Calls for Employer Action
Child care costs in the U.S. are rising to unprecedented levels—and working parents are struggling to keep up financially.
Families spent 24% of their household income on child care in 2023, according to a survey of 2,000 parents by Care.com. For perspective, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers 7% of household income to be an affordable price for child care.
About 35% of parents relied on their savings to cover child care costs, and 68% of those parents said they have 6 months or less until this money is depleted, the survey found. Nearly half of the parents who responded (47%) spent more than $1,500 per month on child care expenses in 2023, which amounts to at least $18,000 per year. Twenty percent of respondents reported spending more than $36,000 on child care in 2023.
These soaring costs are causing many industry experts to say HR should step up to help via various child care benefits.
Why—and How—Employers Should Beef Up Support for Working Moms
Working mothers historically have struggled with finding their place in the workforce while also managing their family lives.
But in many ways, the past couple of years have been more difficult than ever. The spread of COVID-19, followed by the end of federal pandemic relief funding for child care (which led some child care providers to close), resulted in an exodus of mothers from the workforce. Meanwhile, significant numbers of working moms report feeling burned out at work as they try to balance their personal and professional lives.
“It’s an age-old story,” said Cheri Wheeler, vice president and senior consultant at Kelly Benefits Strategies, a benefits consultant firm based in Sparks, Md. “There have been so many working mothers struggling.”
That’s why, she said, employers need to recognize the challenges working mothers face and provide resources to help, especially during a time when attracting and retaining talent is proving difficult. Supporting mothers—and all parents—in the workforce “helps the employer in terms of reduced turnover, increased productivity, and overall culture,” Wheeler said.
Dow Adds Child Care Assistance, Caregiving Benefits
Dow has joined a growing cache of employers that are focusing on supporting workers who are caregivers to children or other family members.
The Midland, Mich.-based chemical company announced in August that it has added a child care assistance program and two new partnerships that provide its 19,000 North American employees with caregiver support.
Dow’s new child care assistance program provides qualifying employees with a $1,500 contribution from Dow to their dependent care flexible savings account to use toward qualifying child care expenses. Dow also rolled out two new partnerships that provide employees with caregiving and child care resources.
“We all have tremendous responsibilities at work and at home, and supporting our workforce beyond just the paycheck, with benefits that take into consideration the real demands in people’s lives, is more than just a nice-to-do,” said Lisa Bryant, CHRO at Dow.
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