It is very challenging for those employees who are new parents to manage their personal as well as professional life. Although a newborn baby always brings endless happiness, it is not devoid of negative aspects that consist of high expenses and an increasing level of stress. Companies should consider mitigating these issues by providing proper support from the employee. So, in this article, we are going to tell you seven ways a company can support its employees who are new parents.
- Plan in Advance: If you want to support your employees who are new parents, you have to make a plan long before their child arrives. You have to design it in such a way so that your employees do not feel any mental pressure when they are on leave. Well, you can document client services or any outstanding projects on the docket. Along with these, you need to make coverage plans. However, this is the time when your employees who have become fathers or mothers face an emotional situation. Support from employers can help employees navigate better during this process and focus on their newborn baby. Consider these methods to support them.
- Written Parental Leave Policy: We believe it should always be paid leave as having and raising a child is expensive. Even in many developed countries, including the United States, only a few companies provide complete paid leaves for the new mothers and fathers. FMLA or Family and Medical Leave Act in the USA is a United States labor law requiring covered employers to provide employees with job-protected and unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons.
In India, we face two issues. Many companies do not offer any parental leave, and others have it on paper, but do not allow their employees to take the leave. We believe that every company, small or big, should support this initiative.
Gubbacci is a small start-up company, and one of our employees became a father recently. We were very happy for him, but at the same time realized we do not support our new parent employees. We developed a Gubbacci Leave Policy outlining the maternity, paternity leaves, and other benefits for new employees. It was a difficult financial decision but the right decision to make. The company has decided that they will give a welcome kit to their new Gubbacci babies.
We believe that this small gesture will strengthen the relationship between an employer and an employee. The welcome kit consists of 12 onesies for the baby, baby powder, burp cloth, diapers, mittens, diaper rash cream, diaper bag, and a packet of wipes.
- Encouragement To Take Leave: There is a vast difference between offering a paternity or maternity leave and encouraging them to take that leave. According to the reports, many new dads hesitate to take paternity leaves because of their commitments. In other words, they find it very challenging to take leave because of the pressure of endless numbers of projects or deadlines. Companies should consider reassigning work from new parents to other employees as this will support them emotionally and allow them to spend time with their families. Well, along with the company, co-workers should also be very supportive.
- Provide Other Benefits: Depending on the size and ability of the company, consider other benefits like a. Childcare services b. Having Creche/Daycare on-site c. Welcome Kit for newborn baby d. Financial support e. Interest-free loans.
At Gubbacci, given our early start-up phase, we are currently offering a welcome kit at this time. The welcome kit consists of 12 onesies, hat, burp cloth, diapers, mittens, diaper rash cream, diaper bag, and a packet of wipes. These onesies are of different sizes and should cover for the first year.
- Offer Flexible Work Assignments: It is challenging for those who have become new parents to get back to work and focus on it. New parents will significantly benefit and appreciate if the company allows and encourages flexible hours, job shares, and compressed weeks. Well, many companies do not allow mobile phones on the floor. But if new parents could be an exception, so that they can hear that sweet babbles from their babies over the phone. You might be surprised to know that this technique works like magic, and it increases the efficiency of new parents in the workplace. So, don’t hesitate to implement it.
- Support Group at work: It is an easy and effective way in which a company can support its employees who are new parents. Many companies such as Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst and Young utilize this method. An employee faces challenges when he or she returns to work after an extended parental leave. It is a phase of transition when enormous support is required. Establishing an employee support group can solve this problem. In this group, new moms/dads can pair-up with experienced working mothers/fathers and share their experiences and how they overcame those challenges.
- Friendly Behaviour With Employees: Well, taking paternity or maternity leaves or asking for flexible arrangements is a challenging task for new parents. They will be concerned about how this will affect their future promotions, pay raises, and career growth in general. As an employer, you should encourage them to take personal leaves and offer flexible assignments and assure them that this will not affect their career growth. Moreover, you can set an example by taking these advantages for yourself when applicable.
We hope that this article provided you with some ideas to provide adequate support to your employees who are new parents. Please do consider Gubbacci if you ever decide to give welcome kits to your new employees. We will customize the Onesies with your company name or logo.
