Super Couples

Working couples with children use a lot of teamwork in taking care of the day’s demands. James and Kelsey Esely are parents of a baby girl, Reese, and both work full time. James describes the mad morning rush that takes place with almost military precision: “My wife, Kelsey, wakes up at about 5:20 and starts making bottles and sandwiches and gathering baby food for the day. I usually wake up about 10 minutes later and jump in the shower. When I get out, the baby is already up, in her swing with her morning bottle. Kelsey sneaks in a quick cup of coffee (if she’s quick she can get in two). I get Reese out of the swing and finish feeding her the bottle. Kelsey goes to take her shower. I take the baby into the master bedroom to change her diaper. You have to be prepared for the occasional spit up or nose wipe, so my shirt always goes on just before I leave the house. Kelsey is out of the shower and doing her makeup. I take the baby up to her room. Then it’s pretty much a mad dash to get the baby’s clothes on, get her into the car seat and finished getting dressed. By that time everyone is about ready. I take the packed items out to the car and come back in for the baby and my wife. We will usually leave the house at about 6:30 a.m., in order for us to drop Reese off at daycare, and carpool to work in time for Kelsey’s clock-in at 7:30 (about 50 miles away), and mine another 20 min after that.”

 

The early morning crunch is a familiar scene to many working parents. Dual earning couples with children are common today. Census statistics show that nearly 78 percent of couples with children both work outside the home. Twenty years ago a little more than half of couples with children were dual earners, and that figure dwindles to 28 percent in 1950.

 

But the work environment has also changed since the fifties. Working mothers have had a significant impact on the economy. A Department of Labor report states, “Today, women work as part of the ‘global economy,’ which means employees work in a more flexible, technology-driven, and service-oriented workplace.”

 

The struggle many couples face maintaining their careers while raising families affects the workplace, families and relationships. Balancing career and family can place parents in a tough position. Parents often feel torn between work and family obligations.

“When you are at work, you’re at work,” said Cindy Bailey, an insurance sales manager and mother of two. “Depending on which one is demanding my time, the other will suffer.”

 

Balancing work and family is not just a “woman’s problem.” Men are finding it difficult to balance work and family life as well. According to Catalyst Research, men reported that they desired the same family friendly policies from their companies that women do. Like women, men also said that they feared they might not be considered for raises and advancement if they spent more time raising children.

Many companies, recognizing that their workers are often also parents, have implemented policies that assist workers with families. Flexible and compressed work schedules, maternity and paternity leave, the option to work part-time following the birth of a child, and partial reimbursement for day care or on-site day care are some of the options that companies offer to working parents.

 

Not only do employees benefit from these policies, studies by the Family Work Institute find that companies that offer more flexibility benefit as well. Employees report high levels of employee job satisfaction, less time off for sick leave, more commitment and loyalty to their employer, increased rates of productivity and profit and higher job retention rates.

 

Congress is also considering expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). As it stands the FMLA states that covered employers provide employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth and care of a newborn or adopted child, for an employee’s own or an immediate family member’s serious health condition.

 

Congress is examining the possibility of including benefits and pay for parental leaves of absence. The proposal would cover “employees in firms with 50 or more workers who have been with the firm at least a year and have worked 1,000 or more hours during the previous 12-months. Over a 2-year period, employees would be permitted 10 weeks of unpaid leave upon the birth, adoption, or serious illness of a child, and 10 weeks for personal illness.”

 

The proposal would also guarantee that employees returning to work after parental leave would have the same or equivalent position and that health benefits would continue for employees on leave, whether the leave was paid or unpaid.

 

Whether companies offer paid parental leave, work schedule flexibility and family friendly policies to their workers is a matter of largesse at this point. However, with changes in legislation, changes in employees’ expectations, and changes in the workplace, it is likely that businesses will be providing more support for working parents. Consequently, companies that make it possible for workers to function well as parents reap the benefits of employees who are more satisfied, perform better, and produce more at work.

 

 

Gretchen Gregg