America has come a long way since the traditional nuclear family was the ideal and only acceptable way to raise a family. Everyone has a family, and for most workers, that includes children.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 74 percent of mothers and 93.4 percent of fathers with children under 18 are employed.
“As an HR leader, I think just by recognizing and embracing this shift, we can really understand that there is no one-size-fits-all model of what families should look like and how to support those families,” said Gabriela Serret-Campos, head of people strategy and talent at Chronosphere, a platform that helps clients focus on key data by reducing complexity, cutting costs and accelerating problem resolution. Newsweek in the interview.
In today’s workplace, families come in all shapes and sizes, and companies have evolved their policies to accommodate this change. These include single-parent families, blended families, same-sex couples, and multigenerational households.
As a single mother herself, Serret-Campos brings authenticity to her work. She said leadership needs to demonstrate through actions that go beyond lip service that families matter.
“I think it really sets the tone and makes sure that people feel comfortable using these benefits without fear of judgment,” she said.
Newsweek recently released its 2024 rankings of America’s Best Workplaces for Parents and Families in partnership with data firm Plant-A Insights Group.
More than 113,000 parents were surveyed for the ranking. According to the survey, single parents, parents who work part-time and parents in non-management positions need more attention and support from their companies.
“Ensuring that no group of parents – regardless of hierarchy level, work model or family situation – is overlooked and falls through the cracks is a key challenge for employers,” said Plant-A Newsweek“If this issue is successfully addressed, companies can address and fully leverage the contributions of working parents, increasing their productivity and ongoing success.”
Andrea Gill is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Capital Group, one of the 2024 Five-Star Companies. She applied for her first job at the company 25 years ago when she was eight months pregnant, and is now a mother of three. In her current role, she understands that those who choose to work at Capital Group are people first, and employees second.
“If we can help working parents balance the competing and often very stressful demands of home and work – whether before or after the birth of a child – we are all better off,” she said Newsweek in a statement sent by email.
Capital Group offers a range of benefits to help parents and their families, including financial assistance with adoption and surrogacy, as well as pre- and post-birth doula services, fertility care, grief counseling for the loss of a child or miscarriage, comprehensive medical benefits including free therapy sessions, surrogate childcare options through Bright Horizons, and educational services. The company recently extended the amount of paid leave for new parents, whether through birth, adoption, surrogacy, or foster care, to 12 weeks.
Another way Capital Group fosters a positive and inclusive culture for working parents is through employee resource groups.
The Working Parents of Capital ERG hosts events to engage members and educate them on the benefits available to them. It also meets regularly with Human Resources to address the needs of working parents, including hosting a forum specifically for single parents to share tips and resources.
Heather Cohen and Dani Martin are the co-global leaders of Working Parents of Capital ERG. They are mothers of two children each and have both worked at Capital Group for approximately 18 years.
“The Working Parents community plays a critical role in supporting parents by connecting employees around the world to celebrate the joys of parenthood and share resources that help employees grow professionally, personally and financially,” they said Newsweek in a joint statement sent by email.
Photo illustration by Newsweek
According to data firm Plant-A, the top priorities for working parents include the work environment, compensation and benefits, company image and reputation, and work-life balance.
Satisfaction rates were highest among hybrid workers, at 65 percent, compared to those working full-time in an office and fully from home (60 percent and 57 percent, respectively). Hybrid structures, Plant-A says, can provide the flexibility needed to help parents better balance their career development with family responsibilities.
For working parents trying to juggle work and family, flexibility is of utmost importance, said Amy Spurling, founder and CEO of HR software company Compt. Newsweek in the interview.
Parents often have to pick up their children from school or daycare or take them to doctor’s appointments during normal working hours.
“It’s not about that person leaving work at 4 p.m. to pick up their child because they finish work at 4 p.m., but it’s about giving them the flexibility to do things they need to do for their family while still doing their job,” she said. “It’s just going to be slightly different hours.”
The remote and hybrid work culture that emerged from the pandemic four years ago has been great for working parents, Spurling said, but the expectations that come with growing pressure from various companies to return to the office could put people with children at a disadvantage.
Working mothers in particular feel the burden of this balance. According to Spurling, women leave their jobs more often than men in the same company because many working mothers bear the majority of family responsibilities.
SoftwareOne, a five-star company in the ranking, offers the SoftwareOne Academy Returnship, which supports employees who take a career break and return to work. A company representative said Newsweek that 90 percent of returnees are women, many of whom have taken time off from work to care for their families.
Empathy is the company’s top priority, said Julia Braun, HR manager at SoftwareOne. NewsweekShe said the company is working with its employees to offer them the opportunity to work part-time, remotely or hybrid.
“We are committed to providing comprehensive benefits that accommodate a variety of lifestyles – including working parents and single-family households – with the goal of providing our employees with the support and flexibility they need to live their lives optimally inside and outside of work,” she said in an emailed statement.
Overall, companies that introduce a more flexible work environment or other family policy measures can make the workplace more attractive and inclusive for all employees – including those with or without children.
“Everyone has a family,” Spurling said. “If you ignore that, you’re ignoring a very large part of our population that has a lot of our talent.”
Spurling said that by offering comprehensive family benefits, flexibility, and open dialogue and transparency about the challenges of parenthood, companies can send the message to younger generations that they can advance their careers while raising a family, no matter what that looks like.
“By supporting parents, you send the message that you can have both,” she said. “And we have a framework and structure to make sure you can care for your child and do a great job at the same time.”
