Picture this: it’s 10 a.m., you’re in back-to-back meetings, and you get a call from the school nurse — your kid has a fever. By noon, you’re rearranging deadlines, emailing the doctor, and prepping for a presentation with a child now home on the couch.
Sound familiar? Working parents everywhere live in this constant juggle, balancing the demands of their careers with the unpredictable needs of their families. From impromptu doctor’s appointments to last-minute work emergencies, the mental load never seems to ease — and burnout is lurking around every corner.
Burnout: A Never-Ending Load
Burnout doesn’t hit like a wave; it’s more of a slow drip that accumulates over time. For working parents, this might mean fielding late-night work emails on top of planning a birthday party, making sure homework is done, and prepping for an important client meeting.
This constant juggling act takes its toll, and while the emotional and mental impact is clear for the parent, the impact shows up in the workplace too. Burnout leads to disengagement, lower productivity, and ultimately, higher turnover. It’s not just a “them” problem; it’s a “we” problem.
The Silent Struggle: Covering Culture
A 2023 study by Deloitte and the Meltzer Center at NYU Law found that many workers, including parents, hide parts of their identity to avoid being judged at work. The study showed that while 60% of workers reported “covering,” a staggering 68% of caregivers — including parents — admitted to hiding or downplaying their caregiving responsibilities.
Another study found that only 56% of working parents felt comfortable disclosing their caregiving role to their manager. Why? Because they worry it will negatively impact their career.
The fear of being passed over for promotions or judged as less committed to their work causes parents to keep quiet. Add to that the unconscious biases — like the “motherhood penalty,” where working mothers are often judged more harshly or overlooked for career growth — and you can see why parents may not speak up about what they really need.
How Employers Can Help: Empathy and Flexibility Matter
Supporting working parents is an essential part of fostering a thriving workforce. Companies need to go beyond policy — it’s about creating a culture that promotes empathy and flexibility.
Simple steps like offering flexible work hours and ensuring managers actively encourage work-life fit can make a huge difference. When companies take these steps, they reduce burnout and create an environment where working parents — and, by extension, the entire workforce — can thrive.
Why Supporting Working Parents is Good for Business
Let’s get real: supporting working parents isn’t just about being nice — it’s good for business. A study by Great Place to Work and Maven found that companies with robust support for working parents performed better across the board. These organizations saw:
- 5.5x higher revenue growth, driven by increased innovation
- 92% of working parents recommending their company as a great place to work
- 89% of working parents staying long-term, reducing costly turnover
- 92% of parents willing to go the extra mile, boosting engagement and productivity
What Companies Can Do to Support Working Parents
Here are a few strategies employers can use to support working parents and combat burnout:
- Flexible and Remote Work
Offering flexible work arrangements—such as remote work, hybrid work, and flexible hours—can improve work-life. However, employers must ensure that managers actively support these policies, as parents may hesitate to request flexibility if they fear disapproval.
- Paid Parental Leave
Paid parental leave should be comprehensive, offering equal bonding time for all parents, including birth, non-birthing, and adoptive parents. Allow parents to use this leave flexibly, such as taking it intermittently or using a phased return to work.
- Caregiver Leave
Expanding paid leave to include caregivers beyond new parents can help employees dealing with other family responsibilities, such as caring for a sick family member.
- Coaching for Employees and Managers
Coaching offers a unique, personalized approach to support working parents. Both working parents and their managers can benefit immensely from targeted coaching, as it addresses the specific challenges they face in a more interactive and actionable way.
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- For working parents, coaching provides tailored support to integrate career and family life. Whether it’s during parental leave or in the years that follow, coaching offers a safe space for employees to voice their concerns and explore solutions.Working parents sometimes feel that their career trajectory has stalled due to their caregiving responsibilities. Coaches help shift that mindset by breaking down those barriers and creating actionable plans that align their professional goals with their personal lives. Plus, coaches encourage self-care, guiding parents to find moments for rest and recovery—one part of preventing burnout.
- On the managerial side, coaching offers something beyond the typical annual training sessions that can feel like a formality. Instead, it provides real-time, hands-on support, helping managers build empathy and develop the practical skills needed to genuinely support their teams. Rather than a one-and-done approach, coaching is ongoing, ensuring managers have the tools they need to navigate the unique challenges their working parent employees face.
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- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Parent resource groups can foster a sense of community, offering parents a platform to share experiences, advice, and support. These groups can provide working parents with a space to connect with others who understand their challenges, helping them feel less isolated.To enhance the impact of ERGs, companies should allocate a budget that allows these groups to bring in outside facilitators, or host events focused on topics like mental health, work-life, and parenting strategies.
Culture of Well-Being and Belonging
A culture of well-being is essential for ensuring that working parents feel supported and valued, not just as employees but as whole individuals. This may be, arguably, the most important parent support your company can offer. It means embedding empathy, flexibility, and psychological safety into the fabric of the organization.
What does that look like in practice? It means…
- Leaders model self-care and work-life fit—transparently, vocally.
- Managers make a habit of checking in with team members. Encouraging honest conversations about mental health, work stress, or family challenges can help create an environment where employees feel safe to express their needs.
- Employees feel empowered to set boundaries, negotiate flexible hours, and speak up when workloads become overwhelming.
- Families are celebrated. This can be as simple as recognizing family milestones or hosting family-friendly events. Acknowledging that employees have lives outside of work—and celebrating that—creates an inclusive atmosphere that helps people feel valued.
- Self-care is normalized. A well-being culture encourages self-care. This means ensuring that employees feel comfortable using benefits like flexible work hours, mental health days, or PTO. Managers should be proactive in communicating that these resources are available and that there’s no stigma attached to using them.
- Parenting support is intersectional and inclusive, recognizing the unique challenges faced by parents from diverse backgrounds. For example, single parents or parents from multi-generational households may face different pressures than others, and policies should reflect that.
Additional Family-Friendly Benefits
Some other family-friendly benefits that can make a significant impact include:
- Childcare support and backup childcare
- New child stipends
- Mother’s rooms (required by law in the US) and lactation support
- Mental health resources for the entire family
Building a Culture of Care
At the heart of supporting working parents is the need for a culture of care. Policies like flexible work or paid parental leave are vital, but without a supportive, empathetic workplace culture, these initiatives may not be fully embraced. A culture of care ensures that working parents feel valued not just as employees but as people with full lives outside of work.
Creating this culture means embedding empathy, flexibility, and psychological safety into the organization’s DNA. It’s about more than offering policies; it’s about fostering an environment where working parents feel seen and supported—whether that’s through candid conversations with managers, resources like coaching and ERGs, or simply knowing that taking time for their families won’t be a career risk.
In the long run, investing in working parents isn’t just about reducing burnout—it’s about creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. When parents feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work, they’re more engaged, more loyal, and more willing to go the extra mile. And that’s good for everyone.
