Working parents have been dealt an extremely difficult hand when it comes to taking care of their children amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Tasked with balancing work, home and childcare responsibilities, and maintaining their mental health, several parents are experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety. According to a study by Cleo, working parents have lost a cumulative 720 million hours of work productivity per week, due to the mental and physical demand associated with caregiving.
Flexable, a virtual childcare benefit provider, provides on-demand childcare for busy, working parents. Whether offering this benefit to your employee population or utilizing on an individual basis, the new benefit is engaging children in a fun, innovative, and educational safe space. Parents can log into the platform and book 30 to 60-minute blocks of time for their children to be engaged by a virtual host. The hosts play games, perform magic tricks, and provide other creative ways to entertain children.
The Flexable team understands that when parents entrust their children and their education to another person, they must have implicit trust in their skills and abilities. Flexable ensures that each host and team member is extensively vetted with all necessary clearances and background checks required to work with children. The hosts aim to help children grow and expand their love for learning, while making it an educational and enjoyable experience for all.
“Kids are really looking for validation and that interaction with adults that they may not be getting from mom and dad. So, we want to engage and support these kids and their parents so they can get work done without feeling guilty.”
Priya Amin, Founder of Flexable
According to McKinsey, the overwhelming workload is forcing several parents to either leave or consider leaving the workforce entirely — as many as two million women are considering taking a leave of absence or leaving the workforce altogether due to COVID-19 challenges. In a recent Cleo study, women are found to be more consistently taking on the greater share of responsibilities — as women are twice as likely than men to say that they handle more than 50% of caregiving and education responsibilities.
To say the pandemic has been a challenge for a multitude of people would be an understatement, but it has also provided working parents an opportunity to share their stories and be heard by those finding solutions for their struggles.
As employers look ahead into the new year, the challenges working parents face will persist. Ensuring employees are supported and allowed the flexibility necessary to achieve work-life balance is essential to maintain family integrity and the well-being of their relationships.
Information provided Employee Benefit News.