Working parents have faced unprecedented obstacles over the past year, particularly mothers. Now, many are looking for more flexibility in order to help them balance work and family responsibilities.
Statistically, women have been most impacted by pandemic-related job loss. Many have had to walk away from careers to care for their children, which has led to the lowest labor force participation since 1988.
Now, it is up to companies to make the necessary policy changes to keep women in the workforce, or suffer major losses.
One of the easiest methods of doing this is providing more flexibility in terms of scheduling and arrangements.
According to a survey from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 84% of companies are providing some form of flexibility throughout the pandemic. Continuing to offer these arrangements will be crucial to a healthy workforce moving forward.
Additionally, business leaders need to make it clear that they understand workers may be struggling at the moment. In fact, one-third of parents said they feared losing their job if they were open about their workload stress and balancing childcare responsibilities, according to a report by Après, a career resource website for women returning to the workforce, and NUA Group.
That is why higher ups need to send a message that it is safe and healthy for employees to take advantage of flexible programs within the company, especially if that means workers will feel better supported and less stressed.
