Welcome to Working Parenthood 2.0

As a manager, right now, you’re re-learning how to manage people.

You’re faced with the gigantic new challenges of Working Parenthood 2.0… and all the loaded new conversations around it.

Yet, you’re still expected to deliver results, right?

So how do you support remote working parents AND continue to hit your targets? The first step is to open up and normalize the conversation around kids and careers. Here are three tips:

• Build communities

Create networks where parents can share their experiences: A dad’s lunch group. Virtual support sessions. An email chain for new parents. Stimulate discussions for caregivers of all ages and stages. For example: “best advice for getting toddlers to nap’ and ‘how to deal with back-to-school.’

• Partner-up

Employees with an official buddy are better equipped to deal with haphazard family needs. Partner-up your team members. When one can’t attend a meeting due to last-minute obligations, the other can communicate that. If two parents are put together, this also acts as invaluable peer support.

• Create ‘windows of availability’

How do you set boundaries as a manager yet give people flexibility?  Organise core hours around tasks, such as collaboration. Focus these windows on a clear goal where everyone works on a common theme. This leaves space for your team to work on solo projects when it’s convenient for them.

These tips are just a starting point, but crucial to normalising what many find a complex and taboo topic. This is how we will make working parenthood work for all of us.