Question 1

How many parents does the program impact?

Accepted Answer

We want to be sure that every parent in the organization can take something from the program. Our programs go both deep (for example when we facilitate 1:1 peer coaching over the period of a year), and broad (through in-person group events and the mobile app which is available to all employees).

Question 2

Who coaches the parents?

Accepted Answer

The peer coaches are your employees. All our programs are by employees, for employees. We see the wonderful impact of connection in the workplace, of growing the parent community, and the positive impact on employee empowerment that comes from providing the opportunity to learn from colleagues and peers who share their experiences as working parents with others.

Question 3

How is parents@work inclusive for everyone, also non-parents?

Accepted Answer

The beauty of supporting parents is that everyone belongs to a family. Supporting family is usually well received by everyone in the organization. Parenting cuts across so many of the lines that divides us, like gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and background. You will find parents in every group, and we often work together with many different Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) from the same organization, as almost all find the parenting topic relevant.

Question 4

Are fathers interested in participating? Is it not more relevant for mothers?

Accepted Answer

While mothers are missing out at work, we see that fathers are missing out at home. If fathers were empowered to be more involved at home with their family, it would give mothers greater freedom to expand their impact at work. We encourage both mothers and fathers to participate in our programs and are happy to say that we always have peer coaches and parents signing up from both genders.

Question 5

How does supporting parents improve gender diversity?

Accepted Answer

While women are well represented at entry level roles, the pipeline of women in organizations gets smaller and smaller the higher up we go. We see that promotions and increases in responsibility often happen between the ages of 35 - 45 which is also the busy time for families. Starting a family can be one of the biggest factors that negatively impacts gender equality. Mothers are stepping back or stepping out of work, just when they should be stepping up. By supporting both parents to find better solutions for combining work and family (because the more we share the family responsibilities the more we can share career opportunities) we expect to see a direct impact on gender equality.

Question 6

Do you measure the impact on employee well-being?

Accepted Answer

As part of the enrollment process, all parents fill out a parent snapshot survey, rating their confidence from 1 – 10 in six different areas that are relevant to working parents: Values & Purpose; Communication & Relationships; Career Development; Selfcare, Health & Wellbeing; WorkLife Balance & Logistics; and Conflict Management & Resilience.  After completing the program, the parents are asked to complete the survey again. We measure the relevant change and see an overall increase in employee wellbeing of around 45% on average for all participants in the program.

Question 7

What if we are not ready yet for such a program?

Accepted Answer

We start with our clients where they are at. There's no right or wrong place. We can work with companies that are super advanced and have a D&I Team already in place. We also start with companies who have nothing in place, and we move at their pace, supporting them to develop and grow. What is important is a leadership team that wants to support working parents and work towards a more inclusive and empowering workplace culture. If this desire is not there, then it will be challenging to proceed.

Question 8

Do you help organizations set up a parent network or ERG?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our roots are in the self-organized parent networks and love it when a parent comes to us with a heart for community and supporting their colleagues and peers. Please reach out to us, and we can support you through the first steps to implement a thriving workplace network where parents can exchange and learn from each other.

Question 9

Are your programs standardized or can we adapt it for our needs?

Accepted Answer

We have a suite of offerings designed to engage and retain working parents; however, we design bespoke programs for our clients, with the right mix of services that meets their needs and requirements.

Question 10

How much training do the peer coaches receive?

Accepted Answer

Especially for our 1:1 Signature program, the training of the peer coaches is key. The kickoff training with the peer coaches is a 1-day experiential training workshop using the unique parents@work peer coaching model that covers both core coaching skills and connecting skills. We focus on a few simple skills and methods and work on the mindset shift from “fixing” to “empowering”.  This is just the start. The peer coaches learn through doing, as they start immediately with their own coachees once they have completed the first workshop. However, we do not leave them to swim or sink on their own. We support the relationship between the peer coach and coachee with 1:1 support sessions as well as regular ongoing development group coaching.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

parents@work FAQ