Wake up, it’s 8 am already! Wake up your little one, make breakfast asap, change your bedsheets, make your child sit for her online classes. Oh God, it’s 10 am already! Log in to your work right now!
That’s the invisible voice directing all working parents every morning. But while the scenario was more or less the same since always, after 2020, WFH has become an unsurpassable mountain for many. In such a scenario, it has become imperative to work for a company that’s cognizant of the challenges parents face. And we can vouch for the fact that in recent times, there’s definitely a shift in the work norms.
Companies are now backing working parents with benefits to maintain an equipoise between their personal and professional lives. For instance, Google has increased the duration of their leave from 12 weeks to 18 weeks and this greatly benefited the new mothers who had to quit work due to shorter leaves.
Keeping this in perspective, let’s pause for a minute to acknowledge the perks that you as a professional mother/father, should look for while searching for a new job.
#1 – Flexible working hours
Even before pandemic was a thing, flexible work hours were always the top priority for parents who were also balancing a career. Not only did it help them manage their children well, but it also allowed them to devote time to themselves. However, today even though some organizations have already enforced this, most of them are way behind the race. It’s high time that this much-wanted perk is to be woven into the fabric of every company’s norm.
A crucial point to be noted is that if you’ve gone for an interview with a company that offers this benefit, don’t forget to ask how the present employees are utilizing it. Because, it’s important to know whether this flexibility policy is just on paper.
#2 – Health and wellness perks for the entire family
Another salient parameter to look for is whether the company is offering health and wellness benefits.
While looking for a new job, it’s natural to be carried away by their great health coverage. But often, many companies offer 100% benefit only to the employees and not even a single penny to their family. Therefore, always look at whether your preferred organization is offering health benefits to your entire family.
#3 – Stipend for child care
It’s all fine that salaries are offered monthly which works perfectly for a non-parent employee. But it becomes increasingly difficult for parent employees to manage their children’s education expenses in this system. To help them pay for childcare, some organizations are therefore offering childcare stipends. Offered in addition to a parent’s yearly salary, this perk usually comes in the form of a voucher which can be redeemed for pre, middle, and high schools.
Wrapping it up
Balancing family and career is unquestionably taxing, but parents are no less than supernatural beings, right! Don’t lose hope because Super parents can do everything!
