How to Build a Workplace Where Parents Thrive (and Your Business Wins)

Parenthood is often dismissed as the point where ambition fades.

Our survey of nearly 10,000 workers across 20 countries shows this isn’t true.

Parents have just as much drive as their child-free coworkers, but they may need different support to realise it. 

That ambition is not always recognised or worse, dismissed outright. Over one in five parents (21.5%) have witnessed or experienced discrimination or microaggressions at work. Over one in ten relate these to parenthood, maternity or caregiving. Bias is not theoretical. It happens in day-to-day interactions and in the choices managers make about who gets projects, promotions, or recognition.

Ambition does not clock out with parenthood

In our survey, parents were more likely to be motivated to change roles due to new challenges than non-parents (28.8% vs 24.1%). They are also equally motivated when it came to seeking growth and promotion opportunities (36.8% vs 36.4%).   

Parents are not stepping back. They’re pushing forward. Ambition does not disappear with family life. It evolves. Even if the way parents work and channel that ambition looks slightly different, the drive is still there. And it remains an untapped resource for business.

Parents make up more than a third of the global workforce. Supporting them is a strategic investment. Create a family-friendly culture and you do more than retain people. You build loyalty. You reduce burnout. You attract top talent.

The fixes are not complicated. Practical changes in culture, benefits, and management can transform the way parents experience work. When parents thrive, the whole workforce benefits, performance rises, and businesses reap the rewards.

Challenge myths around working parents

The stereotypes around working parents are stuck on repeat. Once people have children, they become less committed. They clock off early. They lose their edge. For many employers, these assumptions still shape hiring and promotion decisions.

The reality looks very different. As we saw earlier, parents are just as motivated to seek new challenges and promotions as anyone else . And when asked about professional development, their top motivators - higher pay, job security, and personal growth - are identical to those of non-parents.

True, the way people work may change after kids. But different ways of working don’t translate into lesser ways of working. 

Parents themselves say it best. As one parent working at Gi Group Holding explained: “I have to be ruthless with my focus. No procrastination, no dragging things out. You learn to prioritise differently and to let go of what’s not essential.”

Too often, companies treat parents as if their career is slowing down. The result is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Overlook someone for stretch assignments or promotions and their engagement drops. Treat them as less ambitious and eventually they stop raising their hand. The business loses out on skilled, motivated people who are ready to contribute more.

What businesses can do differently

Leaders can stop ambition being overlooked by making a few deliberate shifts:

• ● Challenge assumptions. Measure ambition by outcomes and behaviours, not outdated stereotypes.
• ● Offer equal visibility. Ensure parents are actively considered for stretch roles, promotions, and development pipelines.
• ● Value different paths. Ambition is not one-size-fits-all. For some it means moving up fast, for others progressing steadily with balance. Both bring value to the business.

Build inclusive benefits packages 

Glossy perks look good in recruitment ads. Think office beer taps, fancy away days, and discount gym memberships. But for parents balancing childcare and commutes, the benefits that matter are the ones that offer security and flexibility. 

What parents say they want is far more practical. The top three benefits in our survey were performance bonuses or profit sharing (54.8%), extra paid time off (41.4%), and retirement plans with employer matching (36.1%). Non-parents put performance bonuses (51.8%) and extra paid time off (44.8%) at the top too, but swap in commuting support (36.9%) instead of retirement. One gap stands out further down the list. Childcare or family support matters far more to parents (24.5% vs 15.6%).

The overlap shows that everyone values financial rewards and time. But above all, the data confirms what parents keep telling us. Flexibility wins. As one Grafton parent explains, “Flexibility is gold. The trust to manage your own time and priorities is what really enables parents to thrive - and in my experience, it benefits everyone, not just parents.”

What businesses can do differently

Employers do not need to reinvent benefits from scratch, but they should rethink which ones deliver real value:

• ● Make flexibility real. Offer parents genuine control over how they use time. That might mean additional paid leave, asynchronous working, or flexible arrangements that fit family demands,  including unexpected events like child illness or sudden school closures.
• ● Prioritise security. Benefits like retirement matching, parental leave top-ups, and robust healthcare plans give parents confidence they can build a stable future.
• ● Offer choice. Keep core incentives like bonuses and pensions but add options such as childcare support or wellness programmes so people can tailor benefits to their stage of life.

Support parents through key life moments

Parental leave, adoption leave, reboarding. These moments can make or break careers. Get them right and you keep talent engaged. Get them wrong and you risk losing them altogether.

Our survey shows parents are only slightly less likely than non-parents to say they will look for a new job in the next six months (41.5% compared with 45.7%). The difference is small, but it suggests parents may be more cautious about making a move. That makes the support they receive during key transitions all the more important.

These are the moments when bias creeps in. Parents coming back from leave are too often seen as less available, quietly passed over for stretch projects or promotions. With the right support - phased hours, proper reboarding, visible opportunities - it becomes a turning point for retention rather than a trigger for resignation.

What businesses can do differently

Transitions do not have to be the point where careers stall. With the right support they can be the moment loyalty deepens:

• ● Think about pre-parenting support: You can grow loyalty with parents before they welcome their new addition, from paid antenatal appointments to adoption leave.  
• ● Onboard and reboard with care. Tailor processes for new and returning parents so they feel included and set up to succeed.
• ● Stay connected. Keep regular, low-pressure contact during parental leave so employees feel informed, not forgotten.
• ● Ease the return. Offer structured return-to-work programmes and phased hours to help parents regain confidence and momentum 
• ● Offer family-focused benefits: Think childcare partnerships or discounts, school-holiday options, and inclusive family events. Pair this with early introductions to parenting resource for advice from those who have already “walked the walk”. 

Empower managers to lead with empathy

Managers are the filter through which culture is experienced. Policies may be written at the top, but it is managers who decide whether a parent feels supported or sidelined. A good manager makes flexible hours or parental leave feel like a genuine tool for balance. A poor one makes them feel like a career risk.

This is where parents are most at risk of being quietly written off. A manager assumes they cannot travel, stay late or take on more responsibility, and so the opportunities go elsewhere. The parent never gets the chance to prove otherwise. 

Empathy changes that equation. Managers who understand the pressures parents face are better at judging performance on outcomes rather than presenteeism. They keep ambition alive by offering recognition and opportunity on equal terms. And they set the tone for teams where it is safe to talk about family responsibilities without fear of judgement. That includes recognising the diversity of families today: single parents, blended families, adoptive or foster parents, and those with broader caregiving roles. 

What businesses can do differently

Managers set the tone every day. With the right tools they can break bias, build trust, and turn policy into progress:

• ● Train for empathy. Equip managers to understand the pressures parents face and respond with fairness, not assumption.
• ● Level the field. Ensure parents of all kinds are considered for recognition, promotions, and stretch projects on the same terms as anyone else.
• ● Set the tone. Build teams where psychological safety is the norm, discrimination is called out, and diverse family structures are respected.

Measure what matters

Culture changes fastest when it is measured. Without data, support for parents risks becoming lip service. With data, leaders can see what is working, where gaps remain, and how policies translate into real experience.

Retention, engagement, and promotion rates show whether parents are thriving in your organisation or quietly leaving for somewhere more supportive. Regular feedback reveals the gap between what is promised in policy and what is felt day to day. Both matter, because numbers without stories are sterile and stories without numbers are too easy to dismiss.

But measurement alone is not enough. Too often surveys are run, reports are written, and then nothing changes. Parents notice the silence. Trust erodes and engagement drops. What matters is building a system that turns insight into action. That means clear accountability for acting on the data, transparency about what has been learned, and a consistent cycle of listening and improving.
 

What businesses can do differently

Measurement only matters if it drives change.

That means turning data into action and making progress impossible to ignore:

• ● Assign clear accountability. Put ownership for parental support with a senior leader or dedicated team so it does not get lost among competing priorities.
• ● Be transparent. Share findings and progress openly with employees. Explaining what has been learned and what will change builds trust and encourages honest feedback.
• ● Create feedback loops. Review data on a regular cycle, set targets for improvement, act on them, and report back on results. Progress should be visible, not hidden.

Make parents your competitive advantage

Want a stronger workforce? Start with the people already holding down two jobs. Parents make up more than a third of the global workforce. They are ambitious, resourceful, and constantly problem-solving. Companies that support them do not just keep talent, they gain an engine of loyalty and productivity.

The playbook is clear. Challenge the myths. Build benefits that matter in real life. Support parents through the transitions that define careers. Value the skills they bring. Empower managers to lead with empathy. And measure what works so you can keep improving.

A family-inclusive workplace is more resilient, loyal, and human-centred. Start with empathy, act with intention, and build policies that grow with your people.   At Grafton, these principles are core to how we work. We bring pride, creativity, and determination to every challenge, always looking for new ways to unlock potential. 

Above all, we believe in the power of relationships. Recruitment is about more than matching skills to roles. It is about trust, connection, and building futures together. Supporting parents is part of that mission, because when ambition is nurtured, the whole workforce rises.