In today’s world of hectic schedules, dual-income households and 24/7 accessibility, working parents can often struggle to create a healthy work-life balance. This balancing act not only presents a challenge for them — trying to make time for their families while constantly fielding work calls or responding to emails — but also for you as a business.
How do you attract top talent for various positions — such as for senior accountant jobs — that happen to have parenting responsibilities? Are there helpful practices that your company can use to empower parents? What are the keys to setting boundaries that help parents balance work and home life? The more fulfilling a career, the more challenging these questions become, which is exactly why it takes effort to properly balance a job with parenting.
If you’re interested in learning how to create a workplace that supports a healthier work-life balance for parents — and increases employee satisfaction in the process — here’s a look at some practical tips worth encouraging and supporting in your company:
- Offer hybrid or remote work options: Being able to work from home is not without its challenges, but it does provide parents a way to get work done without having to waste time commuting. Likewise, some employees may be able to swing projects and meetings with a sleeping baby or child nearby. If complete telecommuting won’t work for your business, consider a hybrid model where workers come in part-time and do the rest of their work remotely. This can help provide the in-person connection and accountability you want, while still accommodating the diverse needs of your team.
- Be flexible about hours: Another way to adapt to the needs of parents in the workplace is with flexible schedules. Some employees would prefer to start as early as possible, right after their kids leave in the morning; others might want a later start time, so they can be available for kids who start the day later. Whatever the case, if you can be flexible about the exact hours during which people work, you can appeal to a larger pool of talent.
- Encourage boundaries around work and home life: Most people tend to be more efficient when they can work undistracted. If there’s a way to help your employees set boundaries around their home life, do it. By the same token, this can help them set boundaries around their work life. Shoot for a culture where everyone fully focuses on work during business hours, but also fully focuses on other responsibilities when work hours end. While the specific hours and boundaries may differ from employee to employee, the general sentiment can apply to everyone.
- Provide childcare benefits. Many working parents cite rising childcare costs as a detriment to continuing or moving forward in their careers. This presents a great opportunity for your company. If you offer childcare amenities or benefits, it can provide the family support people need to commit to your business — and it can help you stand out among other job opportunities.
In addition to steps that your company can take to help your employees, there’s a lot that employees can do to better balance work and home life, too. For more ideas of how the people on your team can balance work with parenthood, take a look at the accompanying resource. In it, you’ll find tips for balancing parenthood, tips for a more rewarding career, and some statistics that illustrate how important this issue is for the modern workforce.
This infographic was created by Michael Page, a recruitment agency for senior accountant jobs
AUTHOR BIO: Nicole Marie is Senior Content Executive at Michael Page, an international recruiting firm. Before joining the recruitment industry, she worked in media and journalism. She now covers employment trends and insights in a variety of industries such as construction, technology and marketing.