Parents Poised to Quit Jobs if Boss Doesn’t Step Up

The 10^th annual edition of the Modern Family Index (MFI), commissioned by Bright Horizons (NYSE:BFAM) and conducted by The Harris Poll, sheds light on a newly emboldened generation of working parents who are willing to stand up for what they need to support their work/life balance. The research reveals their willingness to pause family planning until they find a job at a company that offers family-friendly benefits.

Since 2014, the MFI has explored the experiences and sentiments of working parents as they’ve navigated balancing work with their familial/life responsibilities. While worries from 2014 may have ebbed somewhat in 2024, they haven’t disappeared, and parents are emboldened in their expectations. Though fewer parents in 2024 than in 2014 report fearing their family responsibilities will cost them a raise (29% in 2024, 39% in 2014), a promotion (26%, 37%), or their job (28%, 48%), tangible supports for working parents still aren’t widely available.

While there are similarities between parents in 2024 and 2014 when it comes to prioritizing their families (77% report it is among their top three priorities vs. 76% in 2014), parents today no longer feel the need to hide their familial responsibilities and are willing to demand what they need in the pursuit of work/life balance, even if they have to find another job to get it.

2024 Key Findings

• 78% of respondents are more comfortable speaking up about family-related responsibilities with their employer than they used to be
• 78% say having benefits and support from their employer specifically for working parents/caretakers is important to them
• 70% agree that working for a company that has benefits to support work/life balance is “non-negotiable”
• 66% of those who are planning to have more children in the future would consider waiting to grow their families until they have landed at a company that offers better familial/family planning benefits

The data should sound alarm bells for employers as it illustrates employees’ willingness to take a stand on what it will take for their employers to retain them. At the top of their benefits wish list is support with childcare – nearly half (46%) of parents reported that assistance with childcare and access to an onsite childcare (43%) would be helpful – even above unlimited remote work (40%). Despite this clear call for support, less than a third (29%) are getting assistance in childcare costs from their employers.