Working with Working Parents

(Article originally published by WFC Resources, September 2003, as a Guest Column written by Linda Mason, chairman and co-founder of Bright Horizons Family Solutions)

As employers, we know that one of the most vulnerable points in an employee's work life is the first year after the arrival of a new baby. For many, perhaps most, organizations the greatest source of turnover is new moms. I know that for me, when my children were babies and toddlers, there were many times when it seemed impossible to do a great job both at work and at home.

As employers, if we can help our new parents at work - both mothers and fathers - deal with their massive life changes, it will help their productivity and output at work, it will help to retain valuable employees, and will help them to feel good about their important new roles in life. Being sensitive to our employees' major life events - whether the arrival of a baby, an illness or urgent needs of an aging parent or the pursuit of an athletic or artistic achievement outside of work - makes for a healthier work environment and ultimately a more committed and loyal workforce.

For a new mom, doing a few simple things can help ease her transition back to work, and may ultimately mean the difference between her continuing to work or giving it all up. Can she ease back to full-time work over a few weeks rather than jumping back in on a Monday morning for her full-time schedule? Can we allow her flexible work hours so if she would like to work 7:30-4:00 p.m. she is allowed to do so - a schedule that may allow her more productive time at work before phones start ringing and then allows her to have some afternoon time with her baby? Both workplace and employee can benefit. Can we find a quiet and private place at work where she can breast-pump? Can we facilitate the formation of a new family support group at work that can meet monthly over brown-bag lunches? Important support and sharing of resources happen at these meetings.

Many of the things that new parents appreciate most - flexibility and an atmosphere of respect and trust - cost the organization nothing and often lead to increased productivity and commitment.

Our workplaces are populated with working parents. Half the workplace is now women. And the majority of women (59%) return to work within a year after having a baby. With most mothers now in the workplace, fathers are increasingly feeling the same home pressures. Twenty-three percent of all employees are single parents, and single fathers is the fastest growing family segment.

With this dramatic shift in workplace demographics, employers are finding that if they provide a supportive environment for parents, it gives them a leg up with their competitors. Business researchers have been studying for years the companies that have been selected by Fortune magazine as the "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" - companies all having supportive workplace practices. These companies have shown superior financial and stock performance over the years when compared with organizations that are not on the award lists.

Researchers believe that by providing a supportive work environment -- offering flexible work options, adequate time-off policies, and an atmosphere of respect -- organizations are better able to attract the more valuable, high-performing employees who want such an environment and are able to create a workforce that is loyal, more motivated to do a good job, and more apt to go the extra mile for the company. The result is a more effective workforce that takes pride in the organization and takes initiative to make it more successful.

One of the most valued family supports for employees is the availability of an on-site child care center. For my husband Roger and me, knowing that our three children were right downstairs from us in a child care center with caregivers who we knew well and trusted, gave us full confidence in their well-being and allowed us to focus on our work. Now that our children have gone on to primary and secondary school, I cherish the memories of my picnic lunches downstairs with Gracie, and will never forget the image of my husband sending messages by paper airplane out his office window to Lucas and Farrell in the playground. An employer-sponsored child care center offers new parents the stability and security of high-quality child care close to where they work. Further, the center helps them in the formation of their new family in a way that is healthy and beneficial to the children, families, and ultimately to the workplace.
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Linda Mason's new book is called The Working Mother's Guide to Life: Strategies, Secrets and Solutions.