It’s that time of the year again when the temperature’s soon going to drop, the woolly cardies will come back out of the drawer, leaves will start to change colour and a new academic year will begin. If you’re a working parent that transition period can be particularly stressful.
Many of your employees might find that they’re juggling conflicting schedules between work meetings and school events, adjusting to new routines and after-school programs, managing half-days and unexpected school closures, and balancing work responsibilities with increased family demands.
51% of working parents report that back-to-school interferes with their work. So what can leaders do to ensure their companies support their workforce and while maintaining productivity and engagement?
Be Generous With Flexibility
One effective strategy is to offer flexible work arrangements, or extend the flexible arrangements you already have. By providing options for flexible hours or remote work during the transition period, you can help parents attend school orientations or manage new schedules without sacrificing work quality.
Consider implementing extended leave options that allow parents to use holiday days for school-related activities without penalty. At its heart, most parents want to do a good job at work but often feel overstretched by commitments, so the more generous and flexible you can be as an employer, the more loyalty and respect you’ll earn from your team.
Listen to their worries without judgement
Creating a supportive environment goes beyond policy changes. Encourage your managers to have candid discussions with their teams about work-life balance and family responsibilities. Senior leaders should also model work-life balance by being transparent about their own family commitments, reinforcing that it is acceptable to prioritise family needs.
Working parents often worry about how their family responsibilities might impact their professional image. Promote inclusivity through workshops or discussion groups where employees can share experiences and strategies for balancing work and family life.
The other thing that helps is recognising performance based on results rather than face time, which reassures parents that their contributions are valued. Do you really care if your employee had to work early in the morning rather than in the afternoon, if she ultimately got her work done and the client was happy?
Make sure that important meetings have virtual attendance options, which allows parents to participate even if they need to be at home.
Helping with childcare costs as an employer
In the UK, companies are increasingly recognising the importance of supporting their employees with childcare costs, particularly as the demands of balancing work and family life grow more complex.
In 2017 the UK government introduced the Tax-Free Childcare program. While not directly provided by employers, companies can play a vital role in educating their employees about this initiative. Under the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, the government contributes £2 for every £8 that parents pay towards childcare, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 for disabled children. Research shows that employees with access to backup care work an average of six additional days per year, decreasing absenteeism and increasing productivity.
The other scheme that’s useful but less well known is up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday. The limit on how much parental leave each parent can take in a year is 4 weeks for each child (unless the employer agrees otherwise). You must take parental leave as whole weeks (for example 1 week or 2 weeks) rather than individual days, unless your employer agrees otherwise or if your child is disabled, and you don’t have to take all the leave at once.
Need help making sure you’re supporting your employees during the back to school season? Drop us a line via hello@thehrhub.co.uk or give us a call on 0203 6277048. If you don’t want to speak to anyone but would like to learn more, read my book The MAGIC of HR.
