How to use benefits to help parents master the work-life balance
Last week (2-6 October) was National Work Life Week, an annual campaign promoted by national charity Working Families to get employees and employers talking about wellbeing at work and work-life balance.
Work and life can be difficult to balance, particularly for parents. In fact, new research from MetLife UK, found that fewer than one-third (31%) of parents feel their employer is very understanding and flexible if they need time off, or if hours need to be adjusted, when a child is unwell.
As such, only 4% of parents will turn to their work colleagues for advice when they are feeling worried about their child.
With so many events taking place in our lives, from career choices to having children through to health issues, trying to juggle them with working can be stressful and have a significant effect on health and wellbeing.
Then when you have the unexpected – such as a child being unwell or having an accident – thrown into the mix it can make an already stressful situation even more challenging.
Top tips on how employers can master the work-life balance for parents:
1. Talk to employees
Working parents are already under immense pressure so, where we can, we need to support them to help ease some of their worries, which will not only help improve their health and wellbeing, but also boost their productivity.
Life can be stressful, particularly for parents. When you throw into the equation needing to take the time off to care for children, while juggling work, how your employer/team will manage, layered with the financial impact – it can make an already tough situation much more stressful.
Talking to colleagues can go a long way to reliving some of the stress and worries they might be feeling. Not wanting to let the workplace down, while juggling multiple life moments can be a challenge.
Offering to talk, and being understanding about some of those strains, can help colleagues feel more secure in their role and boost their mental wellbeing.
2. Enhancing hybrid working
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, companies globally have had to adjust working patterns for employers to support a more hybrid approach. As this experimentation and period of adjustment continues, employees have changing expectations of the relationship between life and work.
Our research found that one in 10 (10%) of parents say hybrid working, which many employers offer as an employee benefit, has helped them care for their children when they are poorly or had an accident.
Illness or accident can make an already challenging and busy time more stressful, as parents try to balance working and caring for their child. To support them, employers need to continue to improve this employee benefit and offer flexibility. This could reduce the number of sick days employees are taking, while also supporting employee’s mental health and boosting productivity.
3. Invest in the right protection
Ensuring employees have the right protection would relieve some of the pressures they are facing. And it is essential to retaining a happy, motivated, and engaged workforce and make sure employees know they are fully supported – in and out of the workplace.
As wellness continues to be on the tip of employee’s tongues, implementing a proactive health and well-being protection plan will support those employees with sick children or family members.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, MetLife
At MetLife our aim is to help businesses prepare for the future, perform at their best and protect their people.
