Working parents definitely don’t have it easy, especially before the pandemic. Both childcare and household maintenance can take a toll not just on women, but also on men. Hence, once remote work became an option, a lot of parents were able to re-enter the workforce.
According to recent surveys, the majority of parents prefer a fully-remote work setup (biiiig surprise), or at least a hybrid model. WFH just provides more flexibility, especially for parents who are actively involved with childcare.
In more extreme cases, some employees are even prepared to quit their jobs and stay home rather than go back to the office. If you have key players on your team who also happen to be parents, this is worth noting.
Not convinced? Here are three reasons why a permanent WFH setup could be the key to retaining working parents on your team:
Better Work-Life Balance
Tenured employees already know their way around the business, and this is highly beneficial to their performance in your company. Furthermore, their hard-won wisdom equips them to provide new hires with guidance and assistance. At the very least, that’s one less thing for you to worry about.
For working parents, the flexibility of a WFH set-up presents opportunities to do well both at home and at work. This way, they can carry out their tasks without sacrificing family time or compromising their responsibilities at home. There’s also the peace of mind that comes with not having to choose between their job and their family as a result.
In short, the potential for better work-life balance that a WFH set-up brings is key to retaining senior performers struggling to build both a meaningful career and a healthy family.
Heightened Productivity
WFH has long been proven to boost employees’ productivity. Many companies are flexible about their remote workers’ working hours as long as they deliver on time.
Working mothers (or fathers) who are given the chance to work at their own time are free to do so when they are most productive. This could be in the early morning before everyone else gets up. Around noon when the kids are at school or online classes. Or sometime after dinner when everyone is already in bed.
Having employees who work when they’re undisturbed will result in higher productivity, as compared to forcing them to work during more conventional hours when other matters at home also demand their attention.
Also, bear in mind that the pandemic has made many people re-evaluate how they view work. Now that time with your loved ones and good health are all the more important, you can bet that the best employees will go for jobs that help them prioritize such. Time to stop pretending that the traditional work set-up grants them that.
Practicality
Guess what? A lot of working parents are willing to give up some of their work benefits in exchange for a permanent WFH setup.
One survey revealed that 19 percent of the respondents said they would rather have a 10 percent pay cut, for instance. Another 23 percent are willing to cut down on their paid leaves. Then there’s the 17 percent prepared to work longer hours in exchange for more flexibility.
However, before you implement a WFH setup permanently, it’s always best to ask for your team’s input first. This can help you work out the best options that will benefit all parties.
Finding the right setup will always be a constant when you’re working with a distributed team. Do it right, and you can help secure not just their top performance, but their loyalty as well.
Remote Staff has been assisting AU SMEs and entrepreneurs like you with hiring skilled remote workers from the Philippines since 2007. Aside from hiring, we also provide a hand in onboarding and monitoring so that you can focus on the more important things, such as building a strong business – and taking care of one’s family.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
