Working Parents – the War for Talent

Full employment allows employees to choose who they work for
As employment levels reach their highest levels since 1974, companies are looking carefully at risks relating to recruitment and retention. The Office for National Statistics has revealed that full employment has been achieved in 2022 for the first time in Britain – unemployment rate was 3.7% in the first quarter of 2022 – its lowest level for 50 years.

Many working parents plan to leave their current employer
Almost four in 10 working parents (38%) are planning on leaving their current employer, according to the latest figures from the 2022 Modern Families Index Spotlight.
Many will be moving to employers who offer hybrid working.
Many will be looking to reduce their stress levels. According to a recent national survey by child-care provider Bright Horizons, 90% of working parents “are stressed at their jobs;” and “three in five (61%) describe their stress as overwhelming”.

Working parents particularly value hybrid working
In February 2022, the ONS reported that 84% of workers who had to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic said they planned to carry out a mix of working at home and in their place of work in the future. If working parents are allowed to continue to work with some flexibility, they are much more likely to stay with their current employer.

Employers offering working parents coaching support create a competitive advantage
According to Forbes (6th July 2022), ‘if you want to know why companies are struggling to increase (or even sustain) production levels, this may be the answer: employees with children are so stressed, in some cases overwhelmed, they can’t give their jobs their all—or, worse still, they’re dropping out of the labor force.’
WOMBA (Work, Me and the Baby) was set up in 2015 to help employers support their working parents. Our highly skilled team provides coaching interventions that make a lasting difference.

Award winning service
In 2022, we are very proud to have been recognised by Manage HR magazine as a top diversity and inclusion services provider for 2022.

By Helen Sachdev