Dealing with COVID-19 has been hard on all employees, but perhaps the most affected are those with children. In addition to the challenges of working, these employees also must adjust to changes in childcare and assisting their children with remote learning.
How can employers help support these employees in a way that works best for the employee and employer? The answer is to offer flexibility and a variety of options. One size does not fit all, because each family situation is unique. Here are a few of the variables to consider:
- The age of the employee’s children
- Whether schools are remote, on-site, or hybrid
- Whether one or both parents work from home
- Whether one or both parents is an essential worker
- If both parents are essential workers
- If the employee is a single parent
Each of these situations can call for different types of support. Surveying employees can help clarify what is needed. Paylocity(1) is a company that is offering a variety of options including:
- Split schedules, such as a several-hour break in the middle of the day for caregiving
- A four-day week with 10 hours
- Swapping a weekday for working on a weekend day
- Reduced hours until schools resume in-person operations.
Another company, Global GT(1), focuses on family wellness by offering:
- Online fitness classes,yoga and meditation sessions
- Information about the 24/7 EAP resources, specifically related to family issues and financial concerns
- A series of virtual discussions about parenting through the pandemic.
- A series of virtual events around music, art and cooking that are designed for both employees and their families.
Wellness initiatives can be particularly important because the Pandemic has had a significant impact on emotional wellness. According to Total Brain’s Mental Health Index(2), depression among workers has increased 102% since the pandemic began (more for workers aged 20-39) and general anxiety has increased 71% (more for women)
(1) https://hrexecutive.com/how-a-menu-of-options-can-ease-the-childcare-burden/
(2) https://www.totalbrain.com/mentalhealthindex#key_findings