An inclusive work model for parents

At tb.lx, we work in a hybrid work setting with colleagues in the office, at home, and remotely around the world. Work-life balance is crucial for the company. We want everyone to feel they can be flexible with their schedule, and that includes parents.

During the pandemic, working parents were struck by major changes to their routines, and they had to manage — some of them for the first time — taking care of their children all day and still being able to “go to work”. After the pandemic, working parents realized that the previous working model no longer suited them as it did before. So, companies began to adapt and found new working models that offer more flexibility and support a healthy work-life balance.

We have interviewed two recent parents from our company to understand their struggles and how hybrid work helps them find the right balance between work and supporting their families.

Alexandra Pardal, People Ops Specialist @ tb.lx, has a 2-year-old daughter. “When my daughter is sick, I know I can talk with my team and say that on this day, I will work on a different schedule, but I will still deliver what is expected.” For Alexandra working from home in these situations allows her not to feel so guilty and stressed for not being able to support her child and not be able to give her best at work. “The Hybrid Model allows me to take my daughter to the doctor and then return and compensate for the hours later. It’s freedom of choice.”

In the words of João Martins, Backend Engineer @ tb.lx that has an almost 2-year-old son , “I can spend more quality time with my family. It allows me to pick up my son from school, play with him and share parenting responsibilities with my wife.” As a father, João feels that he can be closer to his son and see his growth in this early phase of childhood.

A recent study from PwC suggests that 55% of employees prefer to be remote at least three days a week. The same survey found that 79% of employees could manage family-related matters more effectively while working from home. This only validates, even further, the working model that we implemented at tb.lx, but the big question is, how can we proactively make this work?

Guidelines to make Hybrid Work work

At tb.lx, we follow guidelines that help us be more inclusive in this hybrid working model. The first basic guideline is transparent communication. Every employee can speak openly when they need to adapt their work schedule to accommodate for their personal life. They are allowed and encouraged to make their working schedule fit their life circumstances and clearly communicate occurring changes so that they can support their kids in situations such as picking up their children from school, having a parent meeting, or needing time for extra care if their child is sick.

The other guideline is respecting boundaries and setting expectations. Employees aren’t just workers. They are also parents. For this reason, we really live the value of work-life balance. At tb.lx, whenever possible, we use async communication instead of booking a meeting. Inclusively, we wrote meeting guidelines and implemented a day free of meetings: Flow Friday. This flexibility means that parents can complete their work tasks and also keep up with family responsibilities.

In the conversation we had with João Martins, he mentioned that, after his Parental Leave, he still needed to support the baby and his wife, “I never felt pressure from my team to always be online with the same working hours as the rest of them. They were very comprehensive with me; they trusted me to manage my working hours accordingly with the new situation.”

It’s all about communicating, trusting, and implementing the right strategies for every employee to feel included.

Another essential guideline is providing learning and development opportunities in a similar way to every employee, especially working parents. They don’t want to feel left out. They also want to feel that the company invests in their growth. Alexandra Pardal was a mother during the first strike of Covid-19 in 2020 and had to come home before time due to her pregnancy. She confessed that she was scared at the beginning. But after one year, she returned to work, with a new job role, new challenges and lots of new things to learn. “I was invited to join the fantastic talent team and continue to bring value to tb.lx while being able to focus on taking care of my daughter. I have grown from someone who had never interviewed anyone to achieving great numbers on our talented team with over 90 hires since my return from parental leave and my new role.”

At tb.lx we are also investing in workplace relationships and collaborations. What does this mean? Even though Alexandra and João were both parents and were on parental leave, they were always invited to every digital gathering, company meeting, or summer event, not to mention the welcome basket prepared with a lot of love and care for their babies. Genuine kind details make the difference.

Embracing the Hybrid Work Model: a benefit for the employees and the company

With expectation management and transparent communication guidelines in place, providing flexible work alongside other benefits, such as learning opportunities, childcare vouchers, and medical insurance, will undoubtedly benefit all involved.

Happier, less stressed, more organized and supported working parents will lead to several benefits for both sides: increased productivity levels, better collaboration and workplace relationships, improved employer-employee trust and increased employee retention.

Flexible work supports a more authentic representation of work-life balance, relieving working parents from the pressure to balance it all. That’s why, from the tb.lx perspective, in order to build a more intentional people-first company culture approach, parenting is an important aspect of personal and professional balance to take into consideration when building a Hybrid Work model.

If you’re interesting in working in an inclusive work model for parents, check our careers page.

This article was written by Inês Varela, Employer Branding & Talent Communications, and Saskia Loja, Strategic Brand Communications, with contributions by Alexandra Pardal, People Ops Specialist, and João Martins, Backend Engineer. We all work at tb.lx based in Lisbon, Portugal. 🚛🌿