Why Supporting Working Parents Makes Teams Stronger
- Mamie Kanfer Stewart
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
Most managers want to support their teams, but when it comes to working parents, many struggle with how to balance empathy and business needs. Between deadlines, meetings, and unexpected challenges, it can be tough to create a workplace that meets the needs of parents without sacrificing productivity.
Dr. Anne Welsh, a thought leader on working parenthood, recently shared insights on how managers can create a more inclusive, parent-friendly work environment—one that benefits not only parents but all employees and the organization as a whole.
Working Parents Carry An Invisible Load
Balancing work and family is more than just a scheduling challenge—it’s a mental and emotional load that many parents carry silently. Anne highlights three key struggles that working parents often face.
Managing logistics is a daily reality for working parents, who must coordinate school drop-offs, unexpected sick kids, and a constantly shifting set of responsibilities. In addition to the logistical challenges, parents also bear a significant mental load, which includes the invisible work of organizing, planning, and managing family life. This responsibility often falls disproportionately on women, adding an extra layer of stress.
Workplace barriers further complicate matters, as many companies still operate under rigid and outdated structures that were designed during a time when many families had only one working partner. Formal policies and informal norms such as the nine-to-five workday make balancing work and parenting unnecessarily difficult.
How Managers Can Make a Difference
Anne outlines key strategies that managers can implement to foster a more supportive and productive workplace for working parents.
Foster a Culture of Openness
One of the simplest yet most impactful things a manager can do is normalize conversations about work-life balance. Employees should feel comfortable discussing their needs without fear of judgment. Managers can model work-life balance by being open about their own family or personal wellness commitments, encouraging transparency within the team, and leading with empathy. Acknowledging that life happens and focusing on results rather than rigid hours creates a culture where employees feel supported.
Make Flexibility the Norm
Rigid work schedules are one of the biggest obstacles for working parents. Providing flexible options helps employees be present for their families while still meeting business goals. Offering adjustable hours, remote work options, and shifting from tracking hours to focusing on project-based outcomes are effective ways to provide flexibility. When employees have control over their schedules, they can better manage both their professional and personal responsibilities.
Rethink Meetings and Availability
Not all meetings are necessary, and we don't need to be accessible at every moment of the day. Working parents often struggle with last-minute meetings and unclear expectations around availability. Even a fifteen minute delay when a meeting runs late can be problematic for a parent who needs to pick up a child from daycare. To create a more effective workplace, managers should audit meetings to determine if they are essential, respect employees’ boundaries by avoiding scheduling outside of core working hours, and encourage asynchronous communication where possible.
Recognize the Strengths Parents Bring to the Workplace
Working parents develop valuable skills that benefit the workplace. Anne refers to these as the “5 P’s”: people skills, which enhance empathy and communication; processing skills, which enable quick, effective decision-making; productivity skills, which strengthen multitasking, prioritization and time management; planning skills, which help anticipate needs and solve problems efficiently; and playfulness, which fosters creativity and adaptability in handling challenges. By recognizing and leveraging these strengths, managers can tap into additional skills of their team members.
Advocate for Organizational Change
Beyond individual support, managers can push for company-wide policies that make a real difference. Anne recommends improving parental leave by advocating for gender-neutral, comprehensive policies that will help level the playing field for many women. Not only do they fall behind their male counterparts due to parental leave, when the non-birthing partner takes leave, it has a material impact on how home responsibilities are shared going forward, enabling birthing mothers to lessen their load.
In addition, she suggests providing manager training to equip leaders with tools to support working parents effectively, and offering childcare support through subsidies, backup care, or on-site childcare options as ways organizations can better support their employees.
Supporting working parents isn’t just about being a compassionate leader—it’s a smart business strategy. Companies that embrace flexibility and support systems for parents see higher retention, increased engagement, and stronger overall team performance.
By creating a workplace that understands and accommodates the realities of working parents, managers don’t just help those individuals who are parents—they help all employees build a more resilient, dedicated, and productive team. And in today’s workplace, that’s a win for everyone.
Listen to the entire episode HERE to learn more about supporting working parents.
Keep up with Dr. Anne Welsh
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