Why Employers Need to Hire Parents

We believe that parents are really the secret sauce of every organization and bring soft skills to the table that’s beneficial for every industry. We took a deep dive into the topic of why employers need to hire parents with Boulo Solutions to uncover key insights on why working parents are the future for the workforce. Read on to watch on Instagram, read a summary of the conversation, and learn actionable tips for both employers and working parents.

Watch Conversation: Part 1 and Part 2 

How to get moms back to the workplace

Delphine Carter, CEO of Boulo Solutions, has identified a rich talent market in parents who left the workforce to take care of their families. Launching Boulo Solutions five years ago, her mission has been to help candidates, particularly women, re-enter the working world. She calls this untapped talent “Carpool Geniuses.”  

Why Carpool Geniuses?

Delphine shared her early experiences and the inspiration behind her initiative – observing skilled, capable parents sidelined due to employment gaps on their resumes. When her children were younger, she recalls seeing this line of women in the school pick-up line and thought about how much intelligence, passion, empathy, and creativity was sitting in those cars. 30% of women quit the year they have a child, and those moms were the types of people she wanted to hire and have in the workforce. There’s a lot of brain power waiting to return to work (and wanting to return to work), but their re-entry was barred by archaic systems of work productivity. 

Boulo’s 360 Degree Skills First Approach

Unfortunately, many women lose their confidence in returning after being out of work for a while, which is why showcasing their skills beyond traditional job titles and highlighting their potential is the key. There’s a big crossover of skills from parenting that do not make it on the resume. She stressed the importance of recognizing the invaluable skills acquired during parenting, such as time management, problem-solving, and adaptability. Focusing on the diverse experiences with a 360 degree "skills-first" approach offers a more comprehensive view of a candidate's capabilities rather than looking at gaps in employment. 

How to keep working parents working

So once working parents are back at work, then what? Without employer support, new moms returning from leave typically experience a 30% decrease in productivity. Amanda Hemm, Director of Parent Experience at Parento, was very excited for this conversation with Delphine because as a parent coach, she is the keeper of working parents’ stories. She understands the challenges they face and their lively discussion highlighted a significant issue. 

While the U.S. supports birthing children, it falls short in supporting parents post-birth, particularly in integrating them back into the workforce.

There’s incredible value in the critical support systems provided by Parento, which include parental leave insurance and a wraparound support and care to help working parents manage balance through all ages and stages of parenthood. Access to paid maternity leave and flexible working arrangements is estimated to add 3.3 million women to the US workforce within the next five years. This is why Parento clients see a 95% return-to-work full-time rate.

Watch Conversation: Part 1 and Part 2 

Top Takeaways from the Discussion

Both Delphine and Amanda provided excellent insights to help women return to work and keep working parents in the workforce. Here are some top takeaways from the discussion: 

1. Shift the Narrative: There’s a big misconception on what “flexibility” is. There’s a need to reframe what a caregiver looks like at work instead of it coming from a negative place of what caregiving takes away from work. This requires both employers changing timekeeping and productivity expectations and employees being proactive with communicating what success looks like with a flexible schedule.
2. Reframe Skills: Both Delphine and Amanda advocated for a change in how skills gained while parenting are viewed. Parenting makes parents better at work, and work makes parents better at parenting. So rather than seeing a period away from the workplace as a gap, it should be seen as a time rich with skill development. Delphine encourages parents to value those experiences as skills rather than being “just a mom.”
3. Employer Perspective: Employers often hesitate to hire parents due to misconceptions about flexibility and productivity. Delphine shared that her first clients for her hiring model recognized the value parents brought – a perspective that more companies need to understand. It’s not by accident that women saw real growth hitting leadership during the pandemic when empathy and building psychological safety on teams became very valuable. 
4. Promoting Flexibility: Amanda highlighted that flexibility shouldn’t just be a policy but a culture embraced within the workplace. Parento, for example, models this by accommodating various needs of parents, from appointments to school pickups, promoting an environment where parenting out loud is normalized. 

Actionable Tips for Employers and Working Parents

There’s an opportunity for employers to also keep their working parents working, rather than leave the workforce. 30% of women quit the year they have a child, and not because they want to. Specifically, there’s a lack of support systems in place to help new parents manage the transition returning to work, limited flexibility and understanding to meet scheduling needs, and expensive childcare. So, how can employers make the working world work for moms?

For Employers:

• Understand and Implement Flexibility: Recognize that flexibility can lead to increased productivity and loyalty. Consider job sharing, flexible hours, and remote work options.
• Value Skills Over Gaps: Adopt a skills-first hiring approach. Evaluate the competencies and unique perspectives that parents can bring to your team.
• Normalize Parenting in the Workplace: Encourage open discussions and “parenting out-loud.” To reduce stigma and support inclusion, is leadership authentically accepting parenting responsibilities?

Watch Conversation: Part 1 and Part 2 

For Working Parents:

• Highlight Your Skills: Clearly articulate the skills you’ve developed through parenting. These include time management, multitasking, and emotional intelligence. Stop seeing yourself as a timeline and put a framework in place to showcase your skills.
• Negotiate Your Needs: When discussing potential job roles, outline how you can achieve company goals within your available hours. Delphine noted that it’s important that parents communicate clearly and set expectations on how they’re going to achieve their goals with caregiving responsibilities. Avoid starting these negotiations with apologies.
• Embrace Your Role: Own your identity as a working parent. Share your challenges and successes to help reshape workplace norms.
• Ask First: Do not leave your job until you’ve asked if your employer is willing to address the scheduling or other accommodation. So many parents just leave their workplace without even asking and this is a missed opportunity.   

Changing the Narrative

The discussion with Delphine Carter and Amanda Hemm provided profound insights into the valuable skills that working parents have, especially moms, and how to retain those at risk of leaving. But caregiving and working don’t have to be mutually exclusive. By redefining flexibility, recognizing the broad skill sets of parents, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture, companies can tap into a reservoir of motivated, skilled, and exceptionally capable professionals. As we move forward, it's important that both employers and parents communicate and change the narrative around what the workplace looks like.