In today’s complex world, employee’s needs, and their attitudes to work have evolved over time. Many companies trot out family support and family values over social media and marketing blurb but in reality, don’t always deliver on promises made or expectations implied. Support for family matters in a variety of guises, is ranked as a highly desirable requirement for employment in today’s modern working, post pandemic world. However, if companies talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, they are in danger of losing great people. So how can organisations support their employees better through the challenges of family matters?

Supporting People through Family Planning / Fertility

Family planning can be a challenging time for many employees. According to NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), it is estimated that infertility affects 1 in 7 heterosexual couples in the UK. Family planning is not limited to heterosexual couples but also includes single women and same sex couples. It is important to be empathetic and flexible where possible in these circumstances.

Organisations could consider:

• Encouraging employees to advise either their line manager or HR manager if they are going through fertility treatment (either personally or a partner is going through treatment) or the adoption process, as they may require time off to attend appointments.

• Having a fair process for promotion or opportunities that does not exclude any employees going through any form of family planning.   

• Providing emotional support to employees during this time.

• Having a miscarriage leave policy or a sick leave policy that could be used in this circumstance. 

• Having a maternity/paternity leave policy which details employment law, statutory requirements and any other details or procedures of the organisation. 

• Supporting pregnant women as they head towards or return from maternity leave.

Managing Work/Life Balance and Work Commitments as a Parent

Being a working parent requires juggling conflicting priorities. It is important for organisations to support the needs of parents and have an open and flexible approach to assist employees to manage their work commitments and work / life balance without being made to feel less committed to their role or penalised for prioritising family matters. Emily Gray, Operations Director at Burns Hamilton comments “I have always wanted to be a mum but I have also always wanted to have a successful career. I am extremely lucky to be able to do both, however, it is a delicate balance.  I have felt the pressure with previous employers making assumptions of what I can and cannot do because I have a family.”

Organisations could consider:

• Providing hybrid or flexible working arrangements (where feasible) to support working parents and their childcare commitments.

• Managing workload levels so that they realistic and encourage employees to work within their contracted hours. Expectations of working beyond contracted hours may be challenging for parents whether they work full or part time.

• Having a fair process for promotion or opportunities that does not exclude any employees who are parents of who have childcare commitments.

• Offering term time only contracts.

• Social activities that occur during the day and that are not always evenings out which parents may struggle with regarding childcare.

Supporting Non-Parents in the Workplace

Whilst it is important to support parents in the workplace, organisations need to also consider any bias towards non-parents that may leave employees feeling de-valued or excluded. Louie-Mae Gibson, Estate Director at Knight Frank comments “It is not acceptable to assume that the default position for working extra hours / staying behind / being on call should fall to non-parents in favour of parents”.

Organisations could consider:

• Annual leave entitlement is granted with consideration for both parents and non-parents. Whilst parents may be limited to school holidays, there may be a bias that non-parents leave requests are less of a priority which should be managed fairly. Discussions within teams/departments can be beneficial here rather than leave being authorised on a first come first served basis.

• Flexibility in the workplace should be offered equally to parents and non-parents.

• Ensuring workload and expectations of work are balanced between parents and non-parents.

Supporting Relatives

Supporting family matters in the workplace also impacts employees who need to take care of elderly or unwell relatives. This can require time off for appointments, hospital visits, day to day care management etc.

Organisations could consider:

• Providing hybrid or flexible working arrangements (where feasible) to support care commitments.

• Having a fair process for promotion or opportunities that does not exclude any employees who have care commitments.

• Proving emotional support and access to grief counselling if required.

Organisational culture that focuses on empathy and flexibility are the key components of supporting employees through all the various nuances of family matters and it is important to ensure that employee’s feel valued and supported.