What parents want from their workplaces

While conducting internal meetings over a game of pool or having fridges stocked full of free beer might have lured potential employees in the past, in-office perks are becoming increasingly irrelevant for working parents, especially those with very young children.

Instead, practical benefits like flexible working hours, paid parental leave and a culture that actively seeks to lighten the domestic load are proving to be more valuable – writes Aoibhinn Mc Bride, Jobbio.

What parents want from their workplaces

What’s in it for the company? For starters, a happier, engaged and more productive workforce. But looking beyond those metrics, having structures in place that appeal to working parents is becoming increasingly important for managing and retaining talent, as well as recruiting new employees who are seeking out roles that work for them and their families in more ways than one.

Flexibility

The post-pandemic shift away from rigid in-office hours towards a more flexible and fluid work day continues to be embraced by employers and employees alike, and this has been hugely beneficial for working parents juggling busy home and professional lives. In fact, a new survey commissioned by workingfamilies.org.uk found that parents are more likely to apply for roles that list flexible working options in the job advert over those that don’t. Flexibility is also key in retaining talent – over half of UK working parents (55%) would consider leaving their current role if they found one with more flexible working options.

Supportive management

Being a working parent can be unpredictable: from interruptions during Zoom calls to doctor’s appointments during working hours, so fostering an environment that allows for flexibility and transparency, and doesn’t penalise parents for having family commitments that can sometimes infiltrate working hours, needs to come from the top down. Identifying if “loud parenting” (not hiding the fact that your parenting commitments will sometimes take priority over your professional duties) is part of the company’s culture is a good way to gauge this.

Tailored benefits for the whole family

Private health insurance with family-friendly features are a draw for parents, parents-to-be or those thinking about becoming parents. These can include fertility treatments, maternity care, access to consultants, cover for children, family mental health cover and access to a virtual GP. Access to affordable childcare is also a barrier to many working parents and some organisations are addressing this head-on by providing on-site childcare facilities.

Tech giant Cisco’s UK headquarters at Bedfont Lakes, Hounslow, offers an on-site nursery for children aged three months to five years at a subsidised rate, while Goldman Sachs is the only London bank to offer an on-site backup crèche facility that can be used free of charge up to 20 days per year.

Parental leave

While a lot of companies offer additional compensation on top of statutory maternity pay, a growing number are seeking to address the gender imbalance when it comes to parental leave by offering extended periods of paid paternity leave – and actively encouraging fathers to avail of this – in an effort to close the gender pay gap and create greater equality and career progression for working mothers.

Easier said than done, but if you’re looking for a new way of working, we’ve got three roles that are hiring right now. And as always, you can check out more options at the Payments Cards Mobile Job Board.

Senior Account Manager, eClerx

eClerx partners with InHerSight, a diversity platform aimed at encouraging more opportunities and better workplaces for women, and is currently seeking a Senior Account Manager to join eClerx Digital. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in client management and engagements in banking, financial services or the insurance industry, and be able to lead campaign management, customer and campaign analytics, pricing analysis, demand forecasting, data management, CRM and data governance. Apply now.

Credit Specialist, American Express

American Express is pioneering extended paternity leave in the UK and currently offers 20 weeks paid paternity leave. As a Credit Specialist on the Credit Review Team in Brighton, you’ll be part of a team that delivers world class results, both for card members and the business, and be tasked with conducting reviews of card accounts to assess risks posed by links to other accounts, take preventative action by placing appropriate blocks on cards and use a variety of internal and external risk assessment tools to pre-empt potential high credit losses. Discover more here.

Security Engineer, Lloyds Banking Group

As well as shared parental leave, Lloyds Banking Group has an agile working scheme which offers part time work, job shares, compressed hours and other flexible arrangements with a third of its workforce. It is currently hiring a Senior Security Engineer (Cloud) with agile working scheme options. The role is looking for an individual that can ensure the appropriate security controls are in place to keep banking services safe and work with architects, product owners and engineers to define and deliver agreed security standards and principles. Get the full spec here.

Discover a new career that’s exactly right for you on the Payments Cards and Mobile Job Board

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