Parents and Mental Health: How Employers Can Help

Author: Dr Sophie Dix, VP of Content at Koa Health - Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing SolutionsIn 2019, ONS (the Office for National Statistics) revealed that 75% of mothers and 92% of fathers are active members of the UK workforce. And as there are more workers who are parents or guardians than workers who are not, it’s clear that employers who are concerned about employee wellbeing must cater for employees with dependent minors living at home. This is particularly crucial as the UK faces a dire mental health crisis for our young people as hundreds of thousands of children between the ages of 10-15 years old are unhappy with their lives and are particularly unhappy about school and their appearance. While industry research supports the idea that generic mental health support is far better than nothing (and has a decent return on investment), it’s not enough. Parents and caregivers would benefit most from help that is inclusive, accessible and takes into account individuals’ unique circumstances

Understanding what employees who are parents need to thrive

Employees who are also juggling and possibly struggling with parenthood are already tapped for time and are often stressed and emotionally overwhelmed. With sometimes conflicting obligations of work, home and family, it’s no surprise that many parents can’t keep up. This despite actively looking for additional help and strategies to strike a balance. Offering employees the support they need is a chance for employers to shine and show their employees that they care. When implementing plans for employee wellbeing aimed at parents, ask the following questions:

Does the tool or benefit being offered help without presenting a conflict of interest or substantial inconvenience in working parents’ already full-to-overflowing agendas? For example, will after-work activities mean a parent looking for some stress relief is choosing between missing their 8-year-old’s football game and unwinding in a guided meditation or yoga session?
Will the help offered actually address real-life obstacles that employees with different caretaking responsibilities need? Different moments during child-rearing require different resources. The father of a newborn may need help building better coping skills to help him keep his calm and find focus on little to no sleep. A single mum with 3 teens, on the other hand, may be looking for resources to help her talk to them about world events and how they’re impacting everyone’s mental health.
Finally and perhaps most importantly: What are the parents and guardians at your workplace asking for? While some resources and initiatives are likely to benefit most parents—for example, hybrid and flexible working arrangements and accessible wellbeing tools—it’s crucial that what’s implemented in your organisation meets the needs of the workers on your team.

If your company does not have clear answers to the above questions, it’s time to gather data from the parents and caregivers on your team. While there are likely to be parents on every team, including HR and upper management, collecting data across departments and roles is crucial to ensuring those families with exceptional stressors and circumstances are included. Once data is collected, it can (and should) be acted upon. Although these families may be in the minority at your organisation, accommodations for the people who need the most support benefit your entire workforce, as access to resources and care is facilitated for everyone.Ideally (for parents and everyone on your team), all mental wellness initiatives will be accessible both during working and off hours. While it may feel counterintuitive, studies show taking breaks at work correlates with increased employee productivity.Besides, when a company allocates budget to employee wellbeing, it’s because they want to see a return on their investment, i.e., get the maximum benefit from the resources or tools selected to support workers’ mental health. Mental health programs adapted to targeted groups (for example, parents and caregivers) have an ROI of 7.3: 1. But this return can only happen if three main conditions are met:1.The tools are a good match for their users2. Employees have time and space to make the most of them3. Employees are motivated (ideally encouraged by managers) to take time to care for their mental health.In practice, this means that company culture and policy around mental health and family obligations are as important as the selection of parent-friendly mental health support.Download your free copy of our whitepaper: Helping your employees overcome barriers to mental wellness to learn: