Do you have the right practices in place to support the career development of new parents?

Key takeaways

• Career development in small businesses often involves a combination of opportunities and providing a pathway to longevity.
• Having a culture of leadership support and understanding around family-friendly policies is criticial part in ensuring employees make the most of them.

Small businesses are becoming increasingly attractive to employees because of the variety of work, flexible working hours, collaborative leadership styles, realistic workloads, and opportunities for growth.

When looking at career development in small business, sometimes it isn't about climbing that next rung or having a pathway to promotion. For many, it can be about keeping the door open for opportunities or providing a pathway to longevity. It can even be about having policies (whether formal or informal) that align with the values of your employees.

Transition plan support

Transitioning from working person to working parent is one of the most significant transitions people will experience in their lifetime. Employers can help new parents navigate this tricky time by being flexible and open to adapting the detail of their return and working life while they adjust.

To do this well, employers will want to consider: How and when they'll stay connected to their employee when they're on leave, having a re-entry plan in place, providing flexible and/or remote working options, and offering access to mental health support.

Flexible work policy

Ask any employee what they desire most from work right now; it will most likely be autonomy and flexibility. We became accustomed to having the freedom to own our hours and schedules during the pandemic. Flexible arrangements for all are considered best practice and parents find it particularly useful to help manage the return to work transition.

Remote working – if you can

Pre-pandemic, only a few organizations had a remote work policy. We all know what happened next. This way of working has become commonplace now, and many employees prefer or have come to expect flexible working arrangements. A policy where new parents can switch to remote working when needed (and without always having to explain why) is beneficial to juggle work and caregiving responsibilities.

For those workplaces that can't offer remote working (i.e. workplaces that are client-facing), you might want to think about other ways to provide flexibility. Remember flexible working isn't just about working from home or part-time, it's about using flexible thinking to come up with flexible solutions.

Ensuring parents in your business remain visible

Whether parents are on leave or working from home, it's crucial they remain visible in the organisation. Include them in talent discussions to ensure they don't miss out on any career opportunities or promotions.

Promoting good mental health and wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing support can come in many forms in the workplace. It might be an EAP service, flexible working policies, offering wellbeing days off, helping employees set boundaries at work, and creating an inclusive culture. The crucial piece around all these supports is that employees know how to access available resources and see senior leaders in the organisation prioritising their mental health and wellbeing.

To do this well, it's important to support the leaders in your organisation through ongoing conversations/check-ins and development opportunities about supporting good mental health and wellbeing.

Unpaid parental leave

Most employees are eligible for 12 months unpaid parental leave. While you may not be able to offer company-funded paid parental leave, the government provides paid parental leave to eligible new parents via the Paid Parental Leave scheme. You can help your employees by proactively managing the PPL process (see our article here).

Employer paid parental leave

According to the WGEA, 63 per cent of businesses with fewer than 250 employers are now offering paid parental leave, with many making paid leave equally available for both parents. You could also consider topping up an employee's superannuation or bridging the gap between their salary and the government's paid leave scheme.

We know that, as a small business, it isn't always possible to offer paid parental leave, even if you really want to. Remember, there are still many ways you can support the parents in your business, as detailed above.

Additional support

Employers wanting to adopt best practice support around leave might consider extending leave – be that paid or unpaid – for parents to care for sick children, encouraging fathers to take parental leave, and normalizing parental leave like any other entitlement.

Support around policies

Of course, you can have the best family-friendly workplace policies possible, but if you don't have a culture of support around them or your managers don't know how to implement them, employees won't feel confident enough to make the most of them. Avoid this by regularly communicating the benefits of your policies, encouraging senior (and all) staff to understand them, and lead by example by making use of the policies yourself (for example, you could be modelling flexible work, or leaving early one day a week for self-care).

Family-friendly policies and processes are a no-brainer. Things that make working parents happy are going to influence the family unit in a positive way. In turn, you'll see improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and a more highly engaged, motivated, and loyal workforce – and often not just from the parents in your business.

Next, we look at how to have a respectful conversation about what your employees need as a working parent.