When you think about supporting your employee population, you know that no two employees have the exact same needs. The same goes for the working parents within your population. Every family is different. Their needs can vary wildly based on their family structure, childrens’ ages, external support available, and a host of other factors. On top of that, an individual family’s needs change over time—a pregnant person needs something entirely different just a few months later as they’re supporting a newborn.
Last year, companies made countless changes to address the new needs of employees that came with a global pandemic, newly remote workforces, and seeing a whole lot more of our children. But even with these new benefits and policies, working parents in the US are losing a cumulative 720 million hours each week to stress and anxiety and caregiving responsibilities.
To retain working parents, it’s essential that employers evaluate how their employees’ needs continue to change and adapt offerings accordingly. Are flexible work hours actually causing burnout? Do employees feel supported to take additional PTO offered? Has their childcare support changed?
It can feel overwhelming to know how to uniquely support all of your employees all of the time. We’re here to help. The first step is simple: ask your people what they need. We created a survey for you to send to your employees—particularly working parents—to understand what they need to feel supported to be their very best at work and at home. See below for the most important questions we recommend and download the full survey to get started assessing your employees’ needs.
Sample questions for understanding the needs of working parents
Demographics & work information
- Location
- Family structure
- Work schedule
- Title/level
Remote work
- Current work situation
- Remote v. in-person work preference
Caregiving & pediatric health
- Caregiving responsibilities
- Children’s ages
- Schooling and childcare support
- Specialized health needs of dependents
Balancing career & family
- Responsibility with partner
- Challenges at work and home
- Stress levels
Download the full survey to understand the needs of your working parents >>