Workforce management systems could help employers improve support for working parents

Workforce management systems can help employers provide better support for working parents, an area that still requires significant attention, according to the CIPD.

Based on the Modern Families Index 2017, released on 16 January by Working Families and Bright Horizons, the CIPD points out that there is a significant gap between the aspirations of working parents to reconcile their work and childcare responsibilities and the reality of how they can achieve this in practice.

The research shows real signs of a cultural shift on the part of many working fathers, particularly younger ones, who want to be more involved in childrearing – just under half (46%) of millennial dads said they would exchange a pay cut for a better work-life balance. Eight out of ten mothers and seven out of ten fathers would assess their childcare needs before taking a new job or promotion.

The report concludes that ‘the shape of work is failing to keep up with the shifting context’, a view that chimes with the CIPD’s own research into working parents. The CIPD’s survey asked over 1,000 HR professionals about how they support parents and carers at work, and found a lack of cohesive provision in most organisations. A third of organisations (33%) said they don’t offer any of the ten types of provision listed that could help working parents.

The most common type of support is for the organisation to proactively promote flexible working options such as job-share, term-time working and part-time hours, but only three employers in ten even offer this type of support.

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