Summer Boost for Working Parents
Stats NZ released their quarterly wellbeing report last week. It signals that our nation’s wellbeing is slipping as we go through the rollercoaster of 2020.
One of the most alarming parts of the report was the consistent low scores for sole parents. The average overall score was 7.2 for sole parents compared to a national average of 7.8.
Sole parents participate significantly in our labour force with a participation rate of around 70% for sole mums (compared to 73% for partnered mums).
So, if this many working parents in our workplaces are suffering even more than most right now, what’s the true cost of that? For our workplaces, at home and in our communities?
I’ve written before about the mis-match of worklife and school life. As we approach the end of term 4 parents up and down the country are scratching their heads, dreaming up creative ways to entertain their kids while they patch up the jigsaw of six weeks school holidays with a fraction of that time as annual leave.
What can we do in our workplaces to lift that wellbeing score, particularly for sole parents, as we come into summer?
Here are some thoughts to get your ideas flowing:
Launch a parent network
Train your managers in team-based flexible work discussions
Trial a job share
Launch a Parent Network
Having a parent network in your workplace is a great place to begin. It signals to all working parents that you can see they have unique challenges in fitting the jigsaw together. Giving them time, space and a place (live or virtual) to connect and share those challenges with each other builds a sense of belonging. You can host events, facilitate discussions and explore ideas to put practical support in place to make that jigsaw a little easier to fit together.
Train Managers in Team-Based Flexible Work Discussions
One thing that makes a massive difference to almost every parent is flexibility. That comes in so many shapes, sizes and modes. It means finding the sweet spot that delivers great results while enabling people to work in a way that works for them. Win-win! Having highly-skilled managers who know how to get the most creative flexible work options humming in their team is the key to success.
Trial a Job Share
A friend of mine is in a senior leadership role as a job-share. She has told me that she’s so much ‘fresher’ and performs better than she was able to when she worked part-time. She doesn’t have the constant guilt of never being fully present for the kids or for her team, because when she hands over to her job-share partner, he’s running with it and she can fully focus on other parts of her life! What could a job share trial do for some of your most talented (but most stretched) working parents?