Tangible Action Steps to Support Working Mothers Now

The struggle of the working mother has been in the national news nearly every day. Vice President Kamala Harris stated that the 2.5 million women who have left the workforce during the pandemic is a national emergency. Your company cares about its female population, but what exactly can you do to help them?

Study after study proves that working mothers, especially women of color, have more widely been impacted by the burden of schools closing and childcare issues during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a recent publication by McKinsey & Company stated, America is at a crossroads. The choices companies make today will have consequences on gender equality for decades to come. In this article we outline some tangible steps you can take to support working mothers. 

Offer Childcare Subsidies to Offset the Cost of Childcare – According to a recent report by Relish amongst parents with children living at home, 41% of working mothers have either quit their jobs, considered quitting or asked for less responsibility at work, compared to only 24% of working fathers. Nearly 20% of working parents don’t have access to adequate childcare - twice as many as pre-pandemic. One approach that is gaining steam among employers, is to provide childcare subsidies to working parents. These funds can be direct payments or channeled through employer-provided dependent care reimbursement accounts to help cover the costs of day care and pandemic-related educational expenses. This helps to alleviate lower income employee's anxiety and financial burdens, allowing them to focus more on their job duties. 

Offer Flexibility in Parental Leave and Parental Work Hours - Johnson & Johnson permits mothers and fathers to use their parental leave on a phase-back basis, ensuring not only time out of office but also a gentler return transition. As Peter Fasolo, global head of HR, states: The company doesn’t “dictate how someone should slice up those weeks” of leave. For some parents, gradual return can make the difference between staying or quitting. 

Train Managers on How to Offer Support– With the new work-from-home protocols and online schooling needs, parents need flexibility and understanding when it comes to their families. Offer managers sensitivity training through "on demand" training modules that address how to support working parents and offer techniques for a gentler transition back to work. Managers can help resolve issues and make their people feel supported simply by opening the door to new conversations, in an appropriate way. 

Make Employees Aware of All of the Benefits Available to Them – Companies like BenefitBump can serve as a hub and proactive resource to help connect participants to their employer’s benefits and support programs. Through caring conversations with licensed emotional health professionals, employees receive advice on how to access all of the benefits like their childcare resources, emotional health resources, their medical plan, and time off programs prior to or when the benefits are needed the most. 

Re-evaluate Performance Review Criteria – In the recent study by McKinsey and Company they recognized that only about a third of employers have adjusted their performance review criteria to account for the challenges created by the pandemic. That means many employees, especially parents and caregivers, are facing the choice between falling short of pre-pandemic expectations that may now be unrealistic, or pushing themselves to keep up an unsustainable pace.  Make expectations based on results, not where, when or how many hours they work. 

Develop an Intersectional Approach to Diversity Efforts – Women of color have been hit even harder by the difficult events of 2020. In addition to the heightened pressure that Black women who are mothers and senior leaders are experiencing, they are also dealing with distinct issues because of their race. Tracking outcomes by gender and race combined shows clearly how women of color are progressing, whereas many corporate efforts only focus on race or gender.

Prioritize Emotional Health and Wellbeing -  Anxiety and depression are already the most common complication in pregnancy and childbirth, and the Covid-19 pandemic caused an increase of 15-20% in maternal mental health conditions.

Promote your EAP and normalize the discussions around mental health so parents can get the help they need.

We cannot afford to lose any more women from the workforce. Open, empathetic, communication and some of the tangible action steps we’ve outlined here, can lead to working mothers feeling more supported and valued. And when women succeed in the workplace, everyone succeeds.