Does someones nappy need changing? Will HR rise to the challenge of babies in the work place.

The BBC series Babies in the Work Place has been an interesting insight into the prospect of parents bringing their babies and toddlers right into their workspace.  As an experiment the program is brilliant, but for me the long term potential of this concept seems limited.  

I suppose that they chose a call centre setting to maximise the difficulty of coping with screaming children while large teams of people were on the phone to customers.  The result was far from ideal but it wasn't only the customers that I felt concerned for, it was more so for the toddlers themselves.  Even if you place these little tots in a room full of exciting amusement and interesting stuff to distract them, they are inevitably going to get tired and grouchy.  How much more so when you are expecting them to be quiet and well behaved within a workspace where there isn't enough to distract them beyond thirty minutes?  

If I were two years old I don't think I would relish the monotony of my mum or dads office space 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.  My propensity for mischief would kick in very quickly!  If companies are genuinely serious about supporting parents in the workplace, wouldn't it be far better for them to supply purpose built crèche facilities?  This is of course what many companies choose to do. Many of the parents interviewed in the program expressed sadness at having to leave their children at a crèche somewhere across town, but equally their concern was in the significant (sometimes prohibitive) costs associated with child care.  

Being realistic about this we know most business are not charities, setting up a crèche facility has significant cost associated with it.  There does need to be some offset here for the employer, which is likely to come in the shape of reduced recruitment and the training costs associated with replacing workers that have failed to return and stay post maternity leave.  The model of a subsidised crèche at the workplace rather than in the workspace is already well tested and valued by employees who have such facilities made available.  It would be good for organisations to share the economics of this more openly to help other employers make informed decisions.  We would love to hear from you if you have such insights. 

Child Care facilities are still only one part of the solution. Forward thinking organisations are putting effort into assisting parents in the workplace not only in the practical areas, but also in the emotional challenges that are faced. Tangible benefits are being realised by organisations who are supporting parents in the way they approach and carry out starting families.  

In fact there is such a lot more that organisations are able to do for expectant or new mums and dads at work.  Have a look at this post for a starter.  It’s great that the BBC are raising the discussion with Babies in the Work Place. but it will be over to those in HR to pick up the challenge and take practical solutions forward.  Here’s hoping they rise to the challenge.  

Mummy, where is my Daddy? Do businesses care about fathers at work?

Research also  shows many fathers are dissatisfied with the amount of time they spend at work and the amount of time they spend with their children. Some 54% of fathers with children under one feel they are not devoting enough time to them, while 42% of fathers feel they are not able to spend enough time with their children. Additionally, 62% of fathers think that, in general, fathers should spend more time caring for their children: fathers are working long hours too, with six out of 10 working more than 40 hours a week.

All this makes the topic of work-life balance for dads a major social significance. Here in the UK family policy emphasises the need for fathers to be more involved with children, in the pre-school and infant years which are crucial in relation to later child development, and especially in relation to families with limited incomes. The economic situation has changed, and labour market participation in the UK among women with pre-school and infant children has risen sharply over the past 30 years since the advent of equal pay acts and anti-discrimination policies. Divorce rates and rates of family breakdown have also risen, meaning that fathers may be less able to rely on mothers to manage the father/child relationship on men’s behalf but must work to establish meaningful father/child relationships on their own behalf. This affects not only divorced and separated fathers, but also men within intact relationships.

Having said all of this, for whatever reasons the facts tell us that men are less likely to access work-life balance policies than woman.

Working Families and Lancaster University Management School are currently researching men’s levels of stress and engagement at work, with a particular interest in men’s participation in family life, and how their working life affects (and is affected by) their efforts to reconcile work and home life. This research indicates that for the fathers surveyed engagement with work is low, and lower than that of other groups of employees than is generally found. It is accompanied by high levels of stress and self-reported physical and mental ill-health. In particular, motivation amongst these fathers is low.

The reasons for this are being sighted as lack of control over work alongside work interfering with home life. Fathers questioned so far also seem less committed to their jobs than would be expected, which is interesting in light of many of the perceptions about workers’ commitment levels and what constitutes an ideal worker (especially in relation to working patterns) which are often dominant in organisations.

Maybe it’s time for organisations to wake up to potential benefits that can be obtained through caring parental policies. This support could take on many forms, but most definitely it would do well to include a new dads workshop giving ‘expectant’ and new dads the recognition and support they need to help them navigate the early stages of being a new dad at work. Our own sessions cover the facts, the practicalities but also helps them identify the values which drive a happier work-life balance.

Is yours a family friendly organisation?

Any organisation with more than a few employees will have staff that are having children.  It’s a big deal, not only for them, but for the employer too.  Even though this is the case many organisations provide little in the way of learning support for these staff.   Interestingly those employers that do assist there staff plan and prepare for this major exciting life change can sight multiple benefits as a result.  Real measurable benefits. 

In one example where a comprehensive evaluation exercise for a client’s Maternity coaching programme was undertaken, it revealed the following results: 

• Return rates (of women returning from mat leave) increased by 4%
• Retention rates (of women staying after maternity leave) increased by 15%
• In a telephone evaluation exercise, 25% of the ladies voluntarily said that they would not have returned to work following maternity if they hadn't attended the workshops

So what types of training can be given in this area?  

Workshops to provide pregnant employees with confidence through change, a supportive network and practical ways to increase their productivity and professionalism.  Covering topics such as:

• ‘professional to parent’ – managing your change of image at work,
• maintaining your confidence and assertiveness through change,
• strengthening your relationships at work,
• creating and communicating a handover plan,
• setting up a support network and communication plan,
• preparing for the maternity leave ‘culture shock’.

Workshops to encourage new mothers to reconnect with work and colleagues in a safe, supportive environment and to begin to plan their return.  Covering topics such as:

• ‘reconnecting’ – sharing of experiences, highs and lows and key learns,
• assessing options for returning to work,
• preparing your first ‘return to work’ meeting with your line manager,
• preparing for the return to work – the practical considerations,
• managing your change of image from ‘parent’ back to ‘professional’.

Workshops to support those employees who have recently returned from maternity leave to be able to confidently and quickly reintegrate into the workplace.  Covering topics such as:

• benefits of working parents to the family, 
• banish the guilty feelings,
• managing separation anxiety positively,
• the affects of childcare on the family,
• time management for managing work/family balance,
• agreeing roles and responsibilities with your family at home and your team at work,
• managing your own stress levels,
• managing your image and your relationships,
• reviewing your career plan.  

Or how about learning for line managers to support those employees who have recently returned from maternity/adoption leave, to be able to confidently and quickly reintegrate into the workplace.  Covering topics such as:

• the importance of managing an employee well through a period of maternity,
• the company and policy-based requirements of managing an employee through maternity,
• additional support that can be offered to boost confidence levels of employees and assist in retaining talent.  

A National Childbirth Trust (NCT) survey of over 1500 working mums confirmed that 33% of respondents reported concern about the attitude of their boss and/or colleagues as being one of the main worries about returning to work.  Clearly there is so much more that can be done to help employees and employers manage this whole area.  Duncan Fraser in Personnel Today 2008  said “The cost to a company of a badly managed maternity leave is not purely financial...it also negatively affects client relationships, performance, organisational knowledge and goodwill”.  

By providing specialist professional training for your employees you can see tangible measurable benefits within your own organisation, which has got to equal genuine value from an L&D budget.  If you would like to know more about these and other courses such as a ‘new dads workshop’ do get in contact with us.  I think this is an area that warrants greater attention in the workplace and I’d love to hear what you think.