Companies like Amazon, Citigroup, Walmart, Dell and UPS have mandated a return to the office (RTO), and the majority of employees are not happy. There’s no doubt that many companies are about to lose a substantial portion of their talent — especially working women and parents. It’s even been suggested that this is a way for corporations to avoid mass layoffs.
A recent internal survey revealed that 73% of Amazon employees are considering leaving their jobs following the RTO mandate, and we know from McKinsey research that 38% of mothers say they would leave their jobs if they had no workplace flexibility. This data and feedback should be a firm wakeup call to company leadership: workplaces that push for RTO without supporting the unique needs of their workforce, particularly of working moms, risk not only high turnover but also a workforce that’s struggling under the pressures of balancing their family life and work schedule.
Why should RTO workplaces brace for a “mom exodus”?
Working from home gave women some time back
When working from home became the norm for some industries, like the technology sector, it created an entirely new routine for working parents. Without the drudgery of the commute, mothers could step out to drop off their children at school in the morning, be back at their home office, and start working earlier than ever before. They could take their one-hour lunch break to meal prep and step out for 20 minutes for school pickup, avoiding the need to hire nannies to pick up the kids. They were able to step away to quickly tend to a family issue or pick up medicines at the pharmacy down the street between meetings.
Moms are on the edge
Parents, and moms in particular, have always faced an uphill battle balancing their workload with their home management. Child care is expensive and, in many cities, hard to find, and many lack the extended family support that parents have had in past generations. What’s more, mothers are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the household workload, no matter how many hours they work compared to their husbands.
The mental load is tangible: According to a recent report by the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 50% of parents say they feel overwhelmed by stress. Juggling work, child care and household responsibilities leaves many parents feeling like they’re on the brink of burnout. Without adequate support in the workplace, stressed-out parents will be the first to head for the door.
This is especially true for working mothers, who had initially benefited from the flexibility of the pandemic-era workplace. Many mothers weren’t given much notice before having to report back to the office daily. One mother at a Facebook group for moms that I am part of shared that her company had given the notice on Thursday that the entire department had to be back in the office by the following Monday, only giving her two business days to secure daycare or hire child care for her kids. As moms, we know that daycare is challenging to find. There are often waiting periods or “lottery” admissions, and can take months to secure. It is physically impossible to plan child care, pick up and drop off duties with just a few day’s notice.
Moms are still doing most of the work
Despite advances in workplace equality, studies show that working women still take on most of the housework and child care. The American Time Use Survey found that even in dual-income households, women spend nearly twice as much time caring for the home and children as men. The pressure to return to the office will only add another layer of complexity to this problem, as many moms will lose.
Companies aren’t required to assist mothers, but if they care about their employee’s mental health and, ultimately, their work productivity and happiness at work, some additional support is needed to help ease working moms into the office. This isn’t only about retaining talent — it’s about ensuring the overall well-being and productivity of the workforce.
Want to support the working moms in your office and avoid a wave of resignations? Here’s what you can do:
1. Flexible work arrangements
Flexibility in where and when employees work is critical. Remote or hybrid work models give parents the freedom to manage their time in a way that works for their family dynamics and still gets their work done. This will improve job happiness by removing some of the challenges that working moms face.
2. Expanded parental benefits
Companies should consider offering comprehensive benefits that address the needs of working parents. This could include on-site child care, extended parental leave, or subsidies for daycare. These could turn the company into a more family-friendly workplace and retain top talent like never before.
3. Mental health support
The demands of the pandemic severely impacted the mental health of working parents, and many are still struggling years later. Providing access to mental health resources, like therapy, counseling and stress management programs, can help parents cope with the unique challenges they face.
4. Get creative with programs
Companies that want to retain talent should think beyond wellness challenges and incentives. Getting creative with the types of benefits they offer could go a long way in removing some of the challenges that parents face day to day. For example, partnering with family management systems, the one I’ve developed, so that all parents get access to a tool that helps them with family schedules, chores, rewards and family time.
5. Opportunities for delegation and teamwork
Many parents, mainly working moms, feel like they need to do it all. Encouraging teamwork and delegation within the company helps working parents not feel overwhelmed with projects they can’t finish.
What employees should be pushing for
Employees also play a role in creating a supportive environment during return-to-office mandates.
1. More control over schedules
Employees should push for the ability to shape their work schedules in a way that works for their family life. This could mean requesting flexible hours or the ability to work remotely a few days a week.
2. Improved parental leave policies
Employees should advocate for policies that give both mothers and fathers adequate time off to care for their newborns without fear of losing their jobs.
3. Access to child care benefits
Employees can also push for companies to offer child care support, whether through subsidies, on-site facilities, or partnerships with local daycare providers.
4. Workload assessments:
Employees should work with management to ensure that workloads are manageable and that expectations are aligned with the realities of their home life.
The cost of ignoring working moms
The data says that companies that fail to address these challenges will simply create a workplace that pushes working mothers out, contributing to a phenomenon already being called “mom quitting.”
By offering flexible work arrangements, mental health support, and specific, creative benefits that cater to working parents, companies can foster a more inclusive, productive and healthy work environment. The alternative? Losing top talent – and losing most of your women employees. That is not good for business and not good for families.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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