Becoming a parent is one of the most fulfilling, yet one of the most challenging phases of one’s life. Most of you parents reading this will have no second thoughts! Seeing a child grow from toddler to adolescence, to teen and beyond, is a huge joy for most of us, and we certainly don’t want to miss out on the critical, life-transitioning moments. At the same time, raising a child can be nerve-racking as the parent(s) go through many difficult transitions where they themselves must learn and unlearn many a thing. Amidst all this, there is a lurking devil in the shadows – the work we do, and our careers. We all know that parents have had a hard time juggling both work and raising a child. The question is - how much have organisations learnt about this over the years, and what has changed? What actions have organisations taken to create an inclusive workplace for working parents?

The decision of parenthood hits a single parent or a family from multiple angles – time for the child in a busy schedule, financial concerns, family, and societal perceptions on how they would draw a balance, and career progression concerns (promotion, overall perception at work, etc.). In a heterosexual relationship, the woman has been known to take more of the back seat, considering the natural need of the child for the mother in the early stages. This has hence resulted in a point in the parenting phase when woman drop out of the workforce, given a strong desire to play an active role in nurturing the child. The statistics have deteriorated over the years. From 30.7 per cent in 2006, the proportion of working age women taking part in paid work in India dropped to 19.2 per cent in 2021, according to a study by the World Bank. Globally on an average, 46 per cent of the women were part of the workforce in 2021. China, for instance, had 61 per cent of its women in workforce while the US had 55 per cent.

For a working couple - over the last decade or so, the percentage of working men who play a significant role in the child’s upbringing has increased. Men have been doing a fair share of household work and not limiting themselves only to being the financial provider for the family. While this has lowered the burden on the woman, the other concerns mentioned above still lurk around.

In simplest words, here are what today’s working parents think about:

1. How do I manage my work, draw a balance with that of my partner’s work priorities, and also look into my child’s growth / progress at school, etc.?
2. How do all of us manage the daily commute to the workplace / school in congested traffic in the city we live in – which at times can even take 3 hours per day?
3. With 2 to 3 hours of work-related travel and more than 10 hours of work (8 at the workplace and 2 later at home to manage time-zones), where is the time for my child? Do I live my life only on the weekends?
4. How can I even think of career progression - e.g., a promotion, when my current work-life itself is so stressful?

By far, the Government of India and several organizations have introduced many measures over the last decade to help working parents - especially for mothers to alleviate the stress of raising children. Though organizations have still not adopted all these requirements, they have brought about a fair amount of change in the outlook of maternity benefits:

1. Significant changes to the Maternity Leave in India - with the major change being increase in tenure of leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks – for both commissioning and surrogate mothers. Adoption was also brought under the ambit (if a woman adopts a child under the age of 3 months, she would be eligible for 12 weeks of leave)
2. Encouragement of work-from-home for new mothers
3. The need to have a full-time day-care / creche in one’s office (for organizations with more than 50 employees)
4. Organisations started enhancing the amount of Paternity Leave, and some made the concept highly inclusive as ‘Parental Leave’ considering same sex parents, primary caregivers and also extending the benefit for adoption & surrogacy.

The sad reality though is that many organisations are lost in the everyday struggle to either grow rapidly or become profitable. Business priorities take very high precedence over creating a humane workplace, and chief executives spend less time thinking on creating an organisation which lasts and is people focused. Despite knowing the fact that working parents form a chunk of their employee base, and in fact, those in their mid-life phases (in the age group of 35 to 45) are both working parents as well as happen to be first or second-line managers, organizations tend to exhibit lack of empathy and detail orientation about what all the employee goes through. Creating a superlative employee experience to ensure inclusive work practices is a long journey, and it’s up to HR leaders and chief executives to design think this phase of the employee’s work-life and build targeted interventions.

Here are some interventions which organizations should increasingly focus on:

1. Counsellingfor those who are deciding to go for a child, either naturally or by adoption. By thinking through all nuances which a working couple / single parent goes through (this benefit should be provided to the employee and their partner - it should not matter whether the employee’s partner is in a different organization). When speaking to a qualified counsellor, employees can share their beliefs and fears in a safe environment they can trust. They can talk about work-related stress, their next performance rating / promotion or even about the fear of taking the so-called ‘back seat’ at work.
2. Customised Hub Models in cities:With more organizations preferring to go for a hybrid work environment (Part remote and part in-office)- organisations need to map locational hubs and try to secure vendor tie-ups which can help a larger section of the working parent population - this can then cater to school timings, day-care timings, doctor appointments etc. With Indian cities like Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bangalore hoarding horror commute stories amidst their crumbling infrastructures, it makes sense to think on how to make the employee’s life simpler and better. Imagine a situation where an employee is in a particular hub where either the employee can live and work completely in that hub - or if there is a need to come more often to the central office, then at least all the needs of the employee are satisfied through services provided through the organization in that hub: E.g. A home doctor or a very good clinic / Tie-up with a prestigious school in the vicinity etc. By providing such customized benefits, employees can be relieved of being at a locational disadvantage as far as work is concerned.
3. Storytelling and Experience Sharing:Creating opportunities for employees to learn from others at the workplace who have ‘been there and done that’ - people who may have had issues in conceiving a child, balancing a stressful work phase, managing a new role when one is expecting, etc.  Having an open, free-speaking culture at the workplace creates avenues to speak one’s mind - employees then know that success in the org is not only work-related, but about truly being able to bring your whole selves to work & being comfortable about it.
4. Coaching Managers to make the workplace inclusive:One of the most important factors making a difference in the work life is one’s manager. The manager’s role is critical in enhancing such nuances of culture within their team. By continuously focusing on building their capability, organizations can take such interventions far ahead.

Highly inclusive managers help in easing different situations:

1. Helping a new joiner working parent be relaxed about the initial days at work – so that drawing a balance between work and parenting responsibilities are not seen as non-performance or slacking.
2. Treating critical working parent points as normal - Being away for your child’s doctor appointment or for that football match or concert – at times right before an urgent meeting
3. Guiding on how to manage parenting responsibilities remotely with the need to be more present and ‘visible’ at the physical workplace.
4. Encouraging an open and safe environment to voice one’s concerns.

While these are some interventions, there can be more thought HR leaders can put in for this while designing their value propositions. Parenting is not easy. It’s as good as a full-time corporate job. But that does not mean one cannot have a full-time job and raise kids. Individuals have done a lot over the years to draw a balance and stress over many a guilt feeling as well. It’s time organisations become more focused on creating inclusive employee experiences over the parenting journey to keep their workforce engaged.