According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 30 million working parents in 2023.  As a result, summer parenting stresses significantly impacted many employees. These stresses often include 3 months of no school routine, difficulty finding childcare, and a lack of family support during work hours.

Working parents often have concerns about disrupted work and its impact on teammates. Many parents also feel guilty about missing time with their children. Plus, working parents often stress about spending money on summer camps, nannies, babysitters, and other makeshift childcare.

As a result, employers should offer workforce accommodations to empower working parents during summer. The following suggestions can help.

Encourage Managers to Model Flexibility

Since managers set an example for employees to follow, they should behave in ways that encourage flexibility. For instance, managers could be transparent about their summer schedule challenges and implement flex hours to accommodate family needs.

Prioritizing flexibility helps employees maintain a work-life structure that fits their needs. As a result, employees can completely disengage from work to enjoy time with their families.

Prioritize Creative Schedules

Summer stress for working parents often results from the disruption of the school year routine. As a result, managers should let employees be creative with their schedules to accommodate their personal needs.

For instance, working parents might ask not to be contacted after work hours so they can spend time with their children. They might also request blocked-off time in the middle of the day to engage in family activities. Additionally, employers could offer Summer Fridays so their employees can enjoy Friday afternoons of summertime activities with family and friends.

Empower Working Parents to Use Their Paid Time Off

Ensure your company’s culture includes taking paid time off (PTO) during Summer. Working parents should feel empowered to enjoy guilt-free time with their children.

Encourage managers to support their teams during periods of employee PTO. For instance, colleagues could temporarily take over an employee’s job duties and responsibilities while the employee is on vacation. Or, managers could hire temporary workers to fill in until the employee returns from vacation.

Offer Mental Health Benefits

Many working parents feel guilty about not spending more time with their children during the summer months. As a result, providing mental health benefits to your workforce is especially important.

Working parents can benefit from professional guidance to support their mental health. Therefore, you should consider offering mental health services with your employee benefits package.

Online therapy resources such as Talkspace offer therapeutic options to benefit working parents. Employees can engage in video sessions and text messages for support with structuring work and family time during Summer.

Do You Need Temporary HR Professionals During Summer?

Encourage managers to model flexibility and let their employees set creative schedules during summer. Also, support your workforce in taking PTO during the summer months to enjoy time with family and friends.

If you need temporary HR professionals to cover for employees during periods of PTO, Arlington Resources can help. Contact us to learn more about how we can help today.