For years, it has been an unspoken yet accepted fact that the tech world is not kind to women, especially if they are mothers. Tech is full of stories of women hiding their pregnancy and motherhood, quitting because they could not balance parenting and career, being called out for taking time off to pick up their child or leave on time at the end of the working day, and more.

Though these things are being addressed now, with many companies changing policies and workplace dynamics to accommodate working mothers, once you are tagged a ‘parent,’ the tech world generally relegates you to one corner. This is why men and women in tech get married late and further delay having kids and building a family.

But the pandemic has changed all this in one swipe. Work from home has blurred the lines between Office and home, and a petulant child appearing in the background during high-powered meetings is no longer frowned upon. But there is still a long way to go. So, what can customer success leaders do to support working parents? Here are a few ideas:

1. Encourage flexibility

This one always tops the list because working moms and dads can adapt work schedules to accommodate parenting commitments. Allowing your employees to choose to give to office their best productive hours means they stay focused when working and can take the required time off for their kids without feeling guilty about doing so—a win-win situation for both the company and the Employee.

2. Opt for a hybrid work model

Design a work pattern that allows parents to combine working in the office with remote and on-the-go working. This way, employees will have the autonomy to work from wherever and whenever they are at their productive best.

3. Set goals and outcomes outside instead of work hours

As a customer success leader, you can ask your team to focus on achieving goals and outcomes instead of being strict about work hours spent in the office. Encouraging an outcome-oriented mindset will help employees develop productive work habits; employees who are sure about their tasks would need fewer meetings, memos, and chats and can finish their work without any distraction.

4. Do not judge productivity based on availability

Build a culture that respects time off. As their leader, remember that parenting is a 27×7 job, whereas customer management is not. As the CS leader, set a precedent of coming on time and leaving on time. Do not let over time be seen as being ‘more productive..’ Adopt quality over quantity of time spent in the office work model. Inform your team when you EOD for the day and do not respond to emails, messages, or office calls. Unless there is a fire, respect employee privacy on weekends, and do not break family-time boundaries with office work.

5. Be clear and transparent with communication

Clarity in communication increases productivity, and honesty fosters transparent and open communication. Check in regularly with the team and provide timely feedback. If you show alacrity in responding to prioritized tasks, the entire team will learn to schedule tasks in a time-bound order. Allow the team to be open with you – do not force them to make excuses or explain the need to go to a PTA meeting with their child’s school.

6. Help them prioritize tasks

If you send them work-related communication after office hours or on weekends, categorize each email/message’s header with a clear, “Need ASAP,’ ‘Required Next Week’ or ‘To be done but not urgent’… etc. This will help working parents take a call on how and when to schedule work into their family time.

7. Create and nurture organizational support groups

Create resources for all working parents within the organization by helping them build and nurture social groups. The more they bond, the more they will learn and relax. This will foster loyalty among the workforce, and it is a proven fact that employees who develop social bonds at the workplace stick around. So creating a community for all the working parents of your organization will benefit you in the long run. Let them share advice and resources by cultivating a culture of caring and sharing. One organization, for example, has worked out a deal with a nearby creche for their employees. The cameras in the creche are linked to the parents’ work devices – and they can watch their child even as they work!

8. Consider workweek customization

Not many companies understood this earlier. But the pandemic has given us the phrase ‘hybrid workplace,’ which is nothing but employee customized work schedules. This might take some time to get going, but the productivity and employee retention rewards are amazing. So, what is it? This means allowing employees to put in the required hours of work according to how they wish to. Does your team lead like a four-day workweek of 10 hours a day? Or maybe someone else would love two days of work from home and three days of coming to the office. Allowing employees to plan their work schedule gives them a sense of empowerment, and a happy employee is a productive employee.

9. Check availability

Before sending off meeting notifications in Teams or Slack, check for the availability of all employees. Give those out of the office the chance to catch up by sending them recorded versions of the meetings; schedule catch-up calls per each employee’s schedule, and be reluctant to schedule office calls during non-working hours and weekends unless the employee is okay with them it. This might sound like a lot of trouble for the CS leader, but once you get used to this flexible working style, you will never be a 9-5 person again.

10. Acknowledge successes beyond work

This could apply to everything you do as a team. However, when you want to adopt a parent-first work style with your task force, you must also learn to celebrate each team member on maternity leave or rejoin. Every paternity leave needs a round of clap, and when some employee shares their child’s achievements or report card, that calls for applause, too. Celebrating the team’s accomplishments outside of work is crucial in recognizing their efforts outside of the office, as parents, partners, and human beings. Remember, be it work or personal achievement, a pat on the back never hurts anyone!

Conclusion

As a customer success leader, you can be the change that every man and woman seeks in the workplace from the moment they become parents. Instead of forcing them to feel guilty and miserable for spending some extra time with their child/family, you can help them bring in the sense of ‘family’ to the workplace by welcoming their parenthood and blending it with office and work management. Start by being a role model. Embrace your company policies regarding pregnancy and parenting, value family time and parent-child bond yourself. Be realistic with timelines and work schedules to achieve better results.

Lead with empathy – understand that every employee, including yourself, has family commitments and that they look up to you to help them find that work-life balance. If you badger them with work all the time, they will be frustrated and unproductive. How you navigate the challenges of working away from home will set a positive example for your team. After all, helping your team lead a happy, balanced life will ultimately lead to the success of your business.

The post 10 Things Customer Success Leaders Can Do to Support and Empower Working Parents in Their Teams appeared first on SmartKarrot l Comprehensive Customer Success.