How to “Family Proof” Your Company

While some employees are dreaming up their summer vacations, working parents may be bracing for a stressful few months. Schedules and routines are changing, kids are out of school (and bored), parents are coordinating activities and vacations, all while trying to stay on top of their workload and mental wellbeing. Have you thought about how to establish company culture for working parents that will continue to support them long after summer is over? 

Summer Workplace Risks

Workers tend to be about 20% less productive in warmer weather, which unfortunately also aligns with the end of Q2 and mid-year goals. But the reality of summer break isn’t just daydreaming for working parents, which translates to higher risk for workplaces. 

More Absences + Longer Vacations: Companies without family-friendly policies may see increased absenteeism or extended vacations resulting in lost productivity across the organization. Or, even worse, increased resignations and turnover. 

Women’s Employment Drops: While working time drops noticeably for both men and women during these summer months, women’s employment drops during those summer months. According to Stanford research, summer break is tied to women leaving the workforce, especially now that childcare is more expensive than rent and housing in all 50 states. Despite more women in the workforce, they still hold an unequal share of household and childcare responsibilities during the summer.

Decreased Morale and Engagement: In addition to limited childcare, summer camps aren’t an option either for many. They can cost upwards to the thousands per week since most affordable options are not synced with the working schedule. This leaves most working parents struggling to manage (and afford) their children’s summer activities and care. If both parents stay in the workforce, there’s also a risk of decreased morale and engagement. With school years ending anywhere from May-July, this could be a very long summer for companies that do not have flexible and family friendly policies. 

“Family Proof” Your Policies 

Summer break is a great reminder that the working world is not made for working parents, but companies have the opportunity to family proof their policies to level the playing field for working parents while ensuring success year-round. 78% of working parents say they feel parents are more comfortable speaking up about family responsibilities than they were a decade ago. 

Family proofing, like baby proofing, is a strategy that reduces risk by implementing family-friendly policies and practices. 

Need to family proofing? Here are a few small changes with big cultural impact:

• Clear Communication: Ensure clear communication of policies and resources available to support employees with families during the summer break, including how to request time off or utilize benefits. 
• Manager Training: Provide training for managers on how to effectively support employees with family commitments during the summer, including managing workload expectations and being understanding of family-related needs. This may include recognition and reward programs for employees who demonstrate a healthy work-life balance during the summer months, reinforcing the importance of prioritizing family time. 
• Feedback Mechanisms: Solicit feedback from employees with families to continuously improve and adapt company policies and initiatives to better meet their needs during the summer break.
• Celebrate families and milestones internally: Some common examples are inviting parents to share milestones (graduations, stepping up ceremonies, etc.) on channels like Teams or Slack. By celebrating these milestones, you improve the culture that normalizes being a working parent and a professional, removing the “taboo” of talking about personal life at work. 
• Bonus - share summer survival strategies with parents: Here’s a free resource to share with your working parents to help them get through summer break. 

Year Round Policies for the Workplace

While you’re thinking about gearing up for the second half of the year, it’s a great time to address policies and practices that may be inadvertently pushing your working parents out the door. New research from Bright Horizons found that 70% of parents say working for a company that offers benefits to support work/life balance is non-negotiable. So if you haven’t family-proofed your company culture for the summer yet, here are some policy ideas to consider offering: 

• Parental Leave Policies: Enhance parental leave policies to support employees who need time off to care for their children during the summer break, ensuring it’s equitable for all types of families and diverse structures. This may include offering paid parental leave, such as Parento’s program or self-funding, to offset inflation and limited PTO policies.
• Flexible Scheduling: Allow employees to adjust their work hours to accommodate family commitments, such as dropping off or picking up children from summer activities. This includes encouraging blocking off time in schedules.
• Child Care: Provide resources or assistance for finding reliable childcare options during the summer months, such as discounted daycare services or referrals to reputable providers. This may also include subsidies or reimbursements for employees' children to attend summer camps or activities, easing the financial burden on families.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs): Offer FSAs or similar benefits that allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to cover childcare expenses, including summer programs or daycare.
• Remote Work: Offer the flexibility to work remotely, enabling employees to spend more time with their families during the summer months, especially if they have children at home. 
• Company-Sponsored Family Events: Organize company-sponsored family-friendly events or outings during the summer, fostering a sense of community and allowing employees to bond with their colleagues and families outside of work. On a micro-level, this may include top-down parenting out loud. 
• Parent Experience/Wellness Programs for Families: Extend wellness programs to include activities or resources that promote family well-being, such as family fitness classes or workshops on parenting during the summer. This will help create a culture that supports working parents, especially those returning from parental leave.

Get Your Culture Ready for Summer

These are just a few ways that companies can create a more inclusive and supportive culture for employees with families, for the chaos of summer months and beyond. By family-proofing your culture, you’re also future-proofing and building a company with higher employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity. The world continues to change, but summer break gives us a glimpse into where companies can make the biggest impact for their employees.

Interested in family proofing? Chat with sales to learn about how to support your working parents year-round.