Your Top Employees are Working Parents
When was the last time you looked at your culture and policies to make sure they stay?
In today’s competitive business environment, retaining top talent is crucial, especially when many of your best employees are also working parents. Ensuring your organizational culture and policies are inclusive and supportive is not just a moral imperative but a strategic business move. Companies that invest in family-friendly organizational policies and practices see improved employee retention, higher job satisfaction, and increased productivity.
Organizational Consulting for a Supportive Workplace Culture
As a life and leadership coach who offers organizational consulting services, I specialize in helping businesses transform their workplace culture to support working parents effectively. My services include comprehensive organizational consulting to evaluate and enhance your current policies and practices. This involves:
Conducting in-depth assessments of your workplace culture and policies.
Ideating and implementing family-friendly organizational policies that align with your business goals.
Providing targeted coaching for organizations on work-life balance to ensure your employees can thrive both at work and at home, including return-to-work programs for employees navigating parental leave
Coaching and Training for HR and People Teams
If you’re part of an HR or People team committed to building an inclusive culture that supports working parents, I’d love to hear from you. My coaching and training programs are designed to equip your team with the skills and knowledge needed to foster a supportive work environment. This includes:
Developing strategies for workplace well-being through digital optimization, using technology to enhance flexibility and support for working parents.
Guidance on best practices for maintaining a healthy work-life balance among employees, particularly those with parental responsibilities.
Training for managers on leading and communicating effectively with a flexible, remote, or hybrid work environment.
Public Speaking and Workshops
In addition to consulting, I offer public speaking and workshops curated for organizational audiences. These sessions are crafted to inspire and educate, providing actionable insights into creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace. My workshops are interactive, engaging participants in real-world scenarios to apply what they learn directly to their work environments.
-
"As a working mother myself, I strive to provide the best support to my employees who return from work after having children. It's a time of balancing new priorities and of re-learning in multiple roles. After going through leadership coaching with Jess myself, I knew she'd be an excellent coach for other employees in our organization, and particularly those going through major transitions. One of my employees returned to work after maternity leave, and we jumped at the chance to offer Jess's coaching program to her. Jess's guidance allowed my employee to express and work through challenges as she navigated a return to full time work after having her first child. I believe her parental leave return coaching is an excellent investment for any company who wants to best support their employees, and help them maximize their confidence and effectiveness."
Erin Brewster, Sales & Marketing Director
Working parents need more from you than just time off work.
You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but…
40% of working moms will leave the workforce or take a reduced role to balance care for family. (US Dept of Labor & Pew Research Center)
Even though more companies are offering paid parental leave, it doesn’t matter how generous your policies are if your employees don’t feel safe taking leave.
73% of working fathers feel there is little support for fathers and 21% fear they would lose their jobs if they took a full paternity leave. (HBR, “Why Workplaces Need to Be Fairer to Working Dads”)
One in three working parents say they have turned down a job promotion because they couldn’t balance it with their family obligations. (Pew Research Center)
Importance of Psychological Safety in Taking Parental Leave
In today’s workplace, many companies have made significant strides by offering paid parental leave, recognizing the importance of supporting employees during critical family transitions. However, it doesn’t matter how generous these policies are if your employees don’t feel safe taking leave without negative consequences. For paid parental leave policies to be truly effective, organizations must foster a culture where employees feel safe and supported in utilizing these benefits. Psychological safety is crucial; employees need to know that taking leave will not negatively impact their career progression or lead to workplace stigma.
Let’s create an inclusive space for working parents.
I’m here to help you build a business culture that supports your working parents by:
Assessing current parental leave benefits against best practices.
Surveying the working parents in your organization to get a true pulse on their needs.
Offering parental leave transition coaching for new parents to aid in their transition in and out of work.
Building internal communities and employee resource groups to support working parents.
Pinpointing cultural shifts throughout the organization and leadership for creating a more supportive and inclusive environment for working parents.
Enhancing psychological safety by implementing open communication practices, and providing training and education on the benefits of parental leave and how to support colleagues who take it.
Generous parental leave policies are a step in the right direction, but without a supportive culture that ensures employees feel safe to use them, these policies can fall short. My personally and professionally informed approach not only enhances employee well-being but also promotes a more inclusive and resilient organizational culture.
-
“Jess is kind and honest, and she was able to simultaneously support and challenge me as I worked through things - a rare combination that is so valuable in a coach!
I gained a lot of confidence in my own thinking as well as strategies to better take action or communicate in a way that feels authentic to me.”
— Financial Services, New Mom
-
“Jess helped me reflect on where I was currently at, align my efforts (namely, mindset) to where I want to be in the future, and find some self-compassion in the process.
She asked me powerful questions at just the right moments, which led to clarity and encouragement I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.”
— Social Impact, Working Mom of 2
Tell me about your organization.
If you’re ready to enhance your organizational culture and policies to better support your working parents, let's connect. Submit the form below to start the conversation. I look forward to collaborating with you to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace for all your employees.