When you think of Surgeon General warnings, you probably think of smoking cigarettes or eating certain food dyes. But there is now an official Surgeon General’s warning that parenting can be hazardous to your health. It’s unlikely that hospitals will start putting warning stickers on babies anytime soon, but this new report puts the question of how companies and employers can support working parents solidly in the forefront of people’s minds.
Pressured Parents in the Workplace
There are over 63 million parents of children under the age of 18 in the United States. There are also millions of non-parent caregivers, and parents of disabled children over the age of 18.
According to the Surgeon General’s report, parents are consistently more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress compared to adults without children. Over 30% of parents report high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of adults without children. Over 40% of parents say that on most days they are so stressed they cannot function well and that most days their stress is completely overwhelming.
Effects of Stress on Parents
When stress is severe or prolonged, it can have a harmful effect on the physical and mental health of parents and caregivers. Stress can cause issues ranging from headaches and stomach aches to poor sleep, a weakened immune system, and mental health conditions. Children of parents with mental health conditions may face heightened risks for symptoms of depression and anxiety and for earlier onset, recurrence, and prolonged functional impairment from mental health conditions.
Causes of Parental Pressure
Every phase of parenting can cause stress. In early childhood parents are often stressed by disrupted sleep schedules and adjusting to a new role. In the grade school years managing responsibilities and the social emotional growth of children can be stressful. For parents of teens, adjusting to their independence and the role of peer pressure causes significant stress.
Throughout childhood parents face financial strain and economic instability, time demands, concerns over children’s health and safety, isolation and loneliness, and difficulty managing family and cultural pressures. Simply making decisions for a child on a regular basis can be stressful. Parents and caregivers with fewer resources or those caring for medically complex children face even higher levels of stress.
How Employers Can Help with Pressure on Parents
The Surgeon General’s report is not aimed directly at employers, but it includes a section on how employers can help with parental pressure. Among the recommendations are:
- Offer paid parental, medical, and sick leave
- Offer fair and flexible work schedules
- Offer access to childcare
- Offer training for managers on stress and stress warning signs
- Offer access to mental health programs including Employee Wellness Programs
Caregiver Benefits for Parents
Another way to support employees is to add caregiving benefits to their support package. These benefits are an increasingly popular way to provide much-needed assistance to not only parents taking care of children with medically complex needs, but for those taking care of their aging parents’ or grandparents’ healthcare needs.
Benefits like these not only help the employees, but the employer as well, often resulting in decreased turnover and higher productivity as workers’ stress levels are reduced.
How ERGs Can Reduce Parental Pressure
Although not specifically mentioned in the report, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for parents and caregivers can also reduce stress.
ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that aim to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace by providing support in personal or career development. An organization might have an ERG for LGBTQ employees, Black employees, women, caregivers, or working parents.
Isolation is one of the main stressors mentioned in the report, and ERGs can help counter feelings of isolation at work and serve as a support network among peers.
Recognizing the Stress of Your Employees
Parental stress is nothing new. But as we as a country come to understand the negative effect stress can have on health and productivity. If you are unsure of how your employee-parents feel, this report can be a great way to start the conversation and look for solutions.
Find out more ways to support your employee caregivers by learning about the benefits that can help. To receive caregiving benefit insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our weekly newsletter.