Lisa Oppenheimer
Director of Brand Storytelling, Bright Horizons
An often underappreciated part of the caregiver experience is how afraid people are to talk about it, especially in the workplace.
A new study shows working parents feeling so judged, they’d rather lie about family responsibilities than risk the career consequences of speaking up. Nearly a third think the stigma of parenthood could actually get them fired. Many told this year’s Bright Horizons Modern Family Index (MFI), an annual survey of working parents, that to protect careers, they’re staying silent about family responsibilities — and quietly burning out. Managers only learn there’s a problem when employees leave. That’s a costly prospect because of who today’s new parents are – increasingly, employees in their 30s who are firmly on the leadership track, and too valuable to lose. Yet employers are losing them, with a previous MFI showing more than half decamping to more family-friendly jobs, even for less pay.
For employers, says Bright Horizons chief human resource officer Maribeth Bearfield, it signals a need for a culture shift. “Caregiving is a fact of life today,” she says. “It’s children, it’s aging parents, often it’s both. We have to see employees’ bigger picture, allow them to be upfront, and create workplaces that are in tune with modern priorities. That’s what will make us all successful.”