How Working Parents Cope With Burnout
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How Working Parents Cope With Burnout, Clueless Managers
Working parents are quietly nursing dissatisfaction at work and are coping with burnout—yet management remains relatively clueless, according to a new survey. -
Parent Perspective: Cold Reception
76% of surveyed working parents said their company does not have their best interests at heart, and 62% said their employers do not care about them. -
Parent Perspective: Sad State
56% said they are unhappy in their current job, and 14% say they'd quit even if they didn't have another job lined up. -
Parent Perspective: Maxed Out
98% said they have experienced burnout, and 77% say they have become depressed, anxious or sick as a result. -
Parent Perspective: Top Causes of Burnout
Lack of sleep: 65%. Absence of family time: 50%. Need to work while on vacation: 49% -
Parent Perspective: Troubling Diagnosis
48% of working parents worry about their health. -
Parent Perspective: Mum's the Word
77% are reluctant to discuss an absence of work/life balance, and nearly seven out of 10 avoid talking about being burnt out. -
Management's Take: Rosy Read
70% of managers said they cultivate a culture that supports work/life balance, and 73% say they support the needs of working parents. -
Management's Take: Small Concern
Just 34% said they worry about their employees' work/life challenges. -
Management's Take: Unnecessary Consequence
60% said burnout among working parents is "avoidable." -
Management's Take: Top Work Qualities Parents Bring to the Table
Superior multitasking: 41%. Effective Time Management: 34%. Ability to remain calm during crisis: 33%
Nearly all working parents have experienced burnout, and most of them say the situation has led to troubling health-related consequences, according to a recent survey from Bright Horizons. The resulting "Modern Family Index 2015" report reveals that managers remain relatively clueless about the extent of the problem. In fact, most of them dismiss burnout among parents as "avoidable." And they maintain an overly inflated sense of how well they cultivate a culture that supports work/life balance. "Working parents are a critical employee demographic," according to the report. "They make up a large percentage of the workforce; they often hold key positions; and as a result, they have the collective ability to substantially impact bottom lines. Yet … there is a surprising disconnect between managers and their workforces, and that behind closed doors many working mothers and fathers are quietly nursing costly dissatisfaction at work." As for how to address the situation? CIOs and other managers could start with open communications policies, because most working parents are currently reluctant to bring up discussions about work or stress overload. Which means it's key to take proactive steps to let these staffers know that it's OK to talk about the issues, and then work together on corrective measures. An estimated 1,000 U.S. working parents and 525 managers took part in the research, which was conducted by Kelton Global.