Why it is ESSENTIAL to support the wellbeing and productivity of working parents in organisations



The proof is in the research:  why it is ESSENTIAL to support the wellbeing and productivity of working parents in organisations

We have picked out the main pieces of research and highlighted below the top 9 reasons why we HAVE to invest time and money into supporting parents in the workplace.

Reasons to support the wellbeing and productivity of working parents

If we do nothing, we run a severe risk of long-term health issues, stress levels, lack of productivity, lack of females at director level and above, and a negative impact on our children and the next generation.

New dads, women returners, those working flexibly and all those who need a better work/home balance for longer-term health and wellbeing need to be at the top of the agenda for the following reasons:

  1. Because July 2016 research has identified that poor work/life balance has been detrimental to parents’ relationships with their children. 51% of all Brits’ personal lives are negatively affected by work (Coople research, reported by HRD July 2016). 
  1. Because 45% mothers reported problems with employer contact during maternity leave (EHRC 2015) and 42% employees leave a job because of a bad boss (BLB Marketplace Approved Index Research).Managerial support is still woefully lacking, at a time when it is essential of working parents are to thrive in the corporate world over the longer-term.  Workshops, discussions, even toolkits; are essential for managers to improve understanding and communication towards parents and those working flexibly.
  1. Because 93% of employers in the EMEA market believe there’s a correlation between health and employee performance (HR Review 2016)
    Our career coaching focuses on creating a healthy work/home balance, as well as career management.
  1. Because flexible working is a top priority for those choosing a job for 24% in the UK. This increases to 32% for Millenials or Generation Y (Great Place to Work Research 2016).
  1. Because if we don’t support new mothers at work, they will leave and the talent pipeline diminishes. We support the target of one-third of FTSE 350 board positions to be held by women by 2020. We recognise that having children puts a huge strain on career prospects – particularly for women and that by supporting both men and women in the workplace to gain a professional/parent balance, women have a better chance of progression to the top.
  1. Because 80% fathers and 78% mothers say that achieving a satisfactory work/life balance is still the biggest challenge (Cityparents survey 2015).
  1. Because 54,000 new mums are losing their jobs EACH YEAR – this number has doubled in the last year.
    1 in 5 mothers experienced harassment or negative comments at work during pregnancy or on return to work (EHRC research July 2016)
  1. Because working parents have cited that they need their employers to put more effort into supporting their career progression as working parents – over and above allowing more flexible working (Cityparents survey 2015).
  1. Because working parents are increasingly feeling “burnout”. This is due to the toll of family and work obligations. A third of parents (29 per cent) reported being burned out often or all the time (Modern Families Index 2016, Bright Horizons).

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