12 Aug Back to School: Parent Edition
Back to school time isn’t just for kids. It’s a major time of transition for the whole family. The back-to-school season is often a whirlwind of emotions and activities for kids and parents. Parents face a multitude of tasks, like shopping for supplies, coordinating drop-off and pick-up schedules, parent-teacher meetings, extracurricular activities, and more. The switch from summer’s relaxed routines to the structured demands of school can be stressful.
For parents, the stress can be financial and emotional. Working parents must balance their professional responsibilities with their children’s needs. This adds another layer of complexity. While back-to-school time is exciting for the kids — and let’s be honest, for the parents too — it can also be daunting for everyone.
Working parents experience higher stress levels and require a heightened level of patience, organization, and resilience. Ellen Galinsky, President of the Families and Work Institute, said the following about how work has changed, making it harder on families: “People work longer hours, they are called on sometimes 24/7, 51 percent do work e-mail during nonwork hours because of technology, and jobs have become more demanding. Yet school schedules have stayed the same. This is a real mismatch that is very stressful for families.”
Here’s the good news: Galinsky also mentioned that her institute’s research indicates complaints against “parent privilege” are rare in the workplace. So, if you’re in a position to help your employees who are also parents of school-aged children, here are some ways to relieve some stress and extend some grace:
- Open Dialogue – Show you’re aware it’s a busy time of year for working parents. Even a quick email saying, “Hey, we get it, this is a tough time of year for you!” goes a long way.
- Regular Check-ins – Stop by your employees’ desks to ask how the first day of school went or how their child’s team did in the big game. Your working parents will appreciate it.
- Parent Support Groups – Create an optional support group for parents within your organization to share ideas and experiences.
Feedback System – Try a feedback system like ZippyAssist, where parents can make suggestions to facility managers or the Human Resources team. Whether it’s food requests for the breakroom or other ideas, the text-based system is super useful, convenient, and easy. - School Supply Stipend – Inflation is no secret and backpacks haven’t magically become cheaper. Help parents by adding a one-time stipend to their paychecks for school supplies.
- Parking Accommodations – Working parents are never off the clock. Rushing from school drop-off to work can be stressful on top of an already long commute. Consider marking an area for parent parking so they don’t have to book it from the “far” parking lot just to arrive on time.
- Wellness Programs – Remind employees to take micro-breaks or sponsor a mental health app like Headspace. Bonus: Hire a masseuse to come out for the entire team! Everyone — especially working parents — will appreciate the gesture.
- Healthy Food and Beverages – Utilize the power of healthy food and beverages onsite for working parents short on time. If they haven’t eaten breakfast or completely forgot their lunch at home, they’ll appreciate the easy access to great options in the breakroom. If you don’t have an office pantry or micro-market, now might be the time to add one! (By the way, Coolbreakrooms can help!)
- Flexible Hours – Offer flexible hours to accommodate children’s drop off and pick up times. You could also offer flex work days, where employees work longer days Monday-Thursday with Fridays off.
- Remote Opportunities – While fully remote may not be possible for all employees, a hybrid schedule might.
- Time Off for School Events – Accommodate parents who want to attend special events at school like class parties, assemblies, plays, concerts, and after-school sports.
- Childcare Support – In a recent study by BCG, up to 86% of respondents said they were more likely to stick with their employer because of a childcare benefit. They also stated that the companies studied (all from different industries) had a Childcare Support Program ROI ranging from 90% to 425%!
- Keep a Pharmacy Onsite – Cut down on after-work errands by bringing amenities to them. AT&T’s headquarters offers an onsite pharmacy at work.
Back to school season is the time to be extra kind and patient with working parents. The stress is real! Your company can help ease the burden.
What are some ways you’re helping working parents out?