Working parents are the MVPs of the workplace, so supporting the mental health of working parents is not just beneficial—it’s a no-brainer! While the journey into parenthood brings excitement and joy, we don’t usually take into account the significant challenges that impact every aspect of life, including work. But, as a manager or leader, where do you start?
To help leaders manage new parents' mental health, we created a free guide that includes strategies, suggestions, and resources to support new parents and their mental health journeys at work.
The joy of welcoming a new child brings with it complex challenges that can impact mental health. Conditions such as Postpartum Depression and Anxiety (PPAD) and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) are relatively common yet frequently overlooked in workplace health discussions. And understandably so since these acronyms can be a challenging conversation to broach, despite their significant impact on employee performance and satisfaction.
However, addressing postpartum anxiety and depression goes beyond the "baby blues." Most companies are pretty in tune with their clients or customers' needs, but sometimes fail to carry that level of care to their internal employees. Here are a few ways that companies have prioritized their employees’ mental health in their updated policies that have had favorable results:
But when HR leaders and managers provide proactive support for their employees’ mental health, such as creating a culture that supports returning parents, they can make a dramatic difference in the workplace experience. This includes improving productivity and engagement in the long term since new moms returning from leave without employer support typically experience a 30% decrease in productivity!
When companies look for what programs or benefits to add or expand, they may look towards their employee survey data, but mental health needs may not be obvious. Early detection and support can prevent productivity losses and enhance overall workplace morale, but not everyone naturally has high emotional intelligence or comfort level talking about topics like PMADs and PPAD.
Managers and HR leaders are on the front lines, that’s why it’s important to train your leadership to recognize signs of mental health struggles. For example, here are a few symptoms you may recognize in the workplace”
Having training and awareness in place can also help managers understand when a situation is a performance issue or due to mental health, common with new parents returning from leave (especially without a proactive return-to-work plan!)
Bonus points if you can leverage skills and strengths that your company already has to introduce mental health awareness!
To help kick-start your manager training, download our Mental Health Field Guide. This free resource includes essential strategies for managing new parents with empathy, focusing on the most common emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms observed in the workplace.
Understanding and supporting new parent mental health is key to maintaining a nurturing work environment and retaining valuable employees. But supporting new parents involves more than understanding—it requires actionable strategies.
Here are a few suggestions from company leaders to get you started:
Your working parents are the backbone of the workplace, but their mental health is often stretched thin. Equipping managers and leaders with strategies, suggestions, and resources to support new parents and their mental health journeys in the workplace goes a long way, but you can’t do it alone. With Parento companies can build healthier teams and empower all employees who become parents through birth, adoption, or fostering. Parento offers personalized programming and coaching to help support parents before, during, and after their parental leave, addressing common emotional and logistical challenges for new parents before they reach the workplace.
