For working parents, the decision to leave a job – or stay – is complicated. In many cases, that difficult decision comes down to a fundamental factor: employer support and flexibility.

Being a working parent with a new baby is tough – and it’s even tougher during a pandemic. From daycare closures to sick kiddos to sleepless nights, the list could go on. Put simply, new parents are in survival mode. 

But let’s start from the beginning. 

Those first few weeks with a newborn baby are filled with questions. Why won’t they sleep? What does that cough mean? Should I call the pediatrician? Then, when it comes time to return to work, a new slew of questions arises. Will my baby do okay with daycare? How will I adjust and balance it all? 

Cut to … the first week back. Your baby does surprisingly well at daycare – and you survive the first day of drop-off. But then, your baby catches a cold and must be home. The next week, their classroom shuts down due to COVID-19. 

In a pandemic-free world, it’s already challenging for many new parents to return to work and find balance. With an ongoing pandemic, returning to work can easily lead to unmanageable stress and burnout. In fact, in about half of U.S. families, one or both parents left the workforce or scaled back at work to care for children during the pandemic. That’s more than 3 million parents who left the workforce since spring of 2020.

Taking the time to understand what your colleagues are going through, providing support and flexibility, could be the difference between talent lost and talent retained. It could even make or break the decision of prospective employees to choose your company over another as parents who left the workforce consider reentry. 

So, what can you do? Here are a few basic ways you can make it easier for new parents as they return to work:

• Hold leaders and managers accountable. It’s important for new parents to find adequate coverage while they’re out – and they shouldn’t have to do it alone. For me, my manager and team lead were fully invested in a stress-free exit. They made time to meet and share feedback on my plan – and helped coordinate staffing conversations.
• Welcome new parents back. Make the team aware that a new parent is returning and encourage time to connect. On my first day back, my manager made time for us to chat over lunch about not only workload and priorities, but also how I was doing. I received texts, IMs and emails from colleagues welcoming me back. It’s as easy as a quick note or 15-minute call to make new parents feel welcomed, valued and cared about. Make them feel like a priority.
• Encourage meetups with other new parents. The good news is it’s likely that there’s someone else who has recently dealt with the same challenges of returning to work and has some wisdom to impart. I was able to meet with a few colleagues virtually to commiserate over our experiences and even get some hot tips for finding balance. In some instances, an organized group could also be helpful to new parents; at FleishmanHillard, we created a Parenting Employee Resource Group. Make your managers aware of resources like this to share with their new parents upon return.
• Allow new boundaries and reinforce flexibility. For some, daycares close at 4:30 or 5 p.m., while others just might need the early evening hours to spend with their children before bedtime. Whatever the time or reason may be, setting new boundaries and taking advantage of flexibility options can be a lifesaver for new parents. If the work gets done right, your clients or customers are happy and it’s viable for your business to implement, then do away with rigid work schedules. Many of your employees, and their families, will appreciate it.
• Revisit and recalibrate career goals. Encourage managers and new parents to sync on their goals upon return. Revisiting goals can help both the employee and manager reset and stay on the right path. It may also be beneficial to debrief on what went well and what didn’t during their transition to continuously learn and improve the experience for other new parents.

As a new mom, I feel fortunate. Working at a Top Company for Executive Women, my transition back to work has been easy thanks to colleagues who understand, an engaged and supportive manager, and flexibility where it counts. None of which cost any money but can make all the difference. 

While employers cannot remove the burdens and unexpected obstacles that come with a pandemic, it’s the simple things companies can do to move parents from a state of survival mode to meaningful work-life balance. 

Executives are investing more time and resources on communications in 2022, but how can they break through to increase personal and brand visibility in meaningful ways? FleishmanHillard’s group of 150 executive visibility counselors work to build reputation with stakeholders through timely and engaging techniques. Here are our predictions for executive visibility trends and setbacks in 2022:

What’s Working:

• Dynamic multi-format content on LinkedIn: As media increasingly turns to LinkedIn for sources and a pulse on everyday trends, the algorithmic platform is evolving to favor newsletters and diverse creative assets, including polls, documents and videos, giving leaders more ways to engage with key influencers and stakeholders.
• Content cadence experimentation: The pandemic shifted ways we consume information, putting a new emphasis on post frequency and good timing. Consider posting on Saturdays, when research shows 60% of all LinkedIn members check the site, yet only 20% of users publish content. Creator Mode can also help grow followers and increase reach if content contains the hashtags highlighted in the executive’s profile.
• Podcasts + Media Councils: In the competitive earned media landscape, podcasts and media councils help cut through clutter with in-depth stories from a third party for added validity. Boost social shares of this content with paid to really reach audiences where they are!

What’s Not Working:

• External link promotion: Platform algorithms are prioritizing user experience, demanding executive content works harder to standout via quality POVs. New research finds LinkedIn articles, shares and short-form posts with links as the creative asset perform significantly lower than in years past.
• Executive travel schedules: As the pandemic put a hold on many in-person meetings, the digital-first workplace opened doors to flexible hours and geographic location. While nothing can replace the value of face time, reporters are increasingly trading coffee shops for video calls when building relationships. Maximize opportunities to connect with leaders and hear from them directly on priority messages. 
• Wavering Social Platforms: Clubhouse was fun while it lasted, but podcasts remain king of soundbites. Executives are looking to established platforms to share their perspectives.

What Might be Possible in 2022: 

• In-person events: Events remain at the mercy of the pandemic. In-person industry conferences drive sales and exhibits, but hybrid offerings are crucial to encourage participation. Be prepared for in-person events to shift to hybrid or fully virtual.
• Salon stakeholder dinners: Gathering for casual business conversation is a great culture fit for some, but not for all. Anticipate different forms of in-person gatherings taking its place.
• TikTok and Twitter: Will executives make their way to TikTok? To be determined, but research shows the number of professionals who watch TikTok content grew 13% in 2021. Similarly, the clutter of Twitter poses increasing challenges, especially when starting a channel from scratch. With so many voices on Twitter fighting for the spotlight, the platform can easily become oversaturated with content which poses a challenge to reach key audiences in a meaningful way.