Employers should implement policies such as paid leave, managerial training on stress management and work-life harmony, and access to high-quality mental healthcare in order to support parents — a group that is experiencing high levels of stress, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an advisory published Wednesday.
Murthy’s advisory cited data from the American Psychological Association showing that parents are more likely than nonparents in the U.S. to report high stress, a trend that remained consistent between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, 1 in 3 parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults, according to APA.
The COVID-19 pandemic “notably contributed” to this trend, Murthy said, thanks to factors such as school closures, financial worries, and concerns among parents about their own mental health and well-being as well as that of their dependents. In an op-ed to The New York Times also published Wednesday, Murthy discussed how his own experience as a parent inspired the decision to issue the advisory.
“When I became a parent, a friend told me I was signing up for a lifetime of joy and worry,” Murthy wrote. “The joys are indeed abundant, but as fulfilling as parenting has been, the truth is it has also been more stressful than any job I’ve had. I’ve had many moments of feeling lost and exhausted. So many parents I encounter as I travel across America tell me they have the same experience: They feel lucky to be raising kids, but they are struggling, often in silence and alone.”
Murthy identified employers as one of several stakeholders that could adopt policies to support parents, but it also identified several specific actions employers could take. For example, the surgeon general said employers’ support could include paid parental, medical and sick leave; flexible work schedules; and access to child care, whether provided in the community or on-site.
On the health benefits side, Murthy said employers “should offer health insurance plans that include access to comprehensive and affordable mental health services and a robust network of high-quality mental health care providers.” This can include access to confidential counseling services offered through wellness programs, employee assistance programs or both.
Managerial training should include support and resources for managers on how to recognize signs of stress and mental health challenges among parents and caregivers, Murthy said. He also called on managers to “exemplify a family-friendly culture” by including parents in leadership roles.
Murthy’s advisory mirrors some aspects of his five-part workplace mental health framework published in 2022. In that document, the surgeon general similarly called for employers to increase access to paid leave as well as flexible and predictable work schedules.
“With this Advisory, I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize the mental health and well-being of parents,” Murthy said in an Aug. 28 press release. “I am also outlining policies, programs, and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers.”
The pressures on working parents can vary significantly. Previously, workplace researchers have identified conditions such as postpartum depression as significant barriers to well-being for new parents, even for fathers and nonbirth parents. More broadly, working parents may feel they are unable to talk about the mental load of being a parent with their co-workers and managers.
In a 2023 interview with HR Dive, Shekhinah Bass, head of talent strategy at Goldman Sachs’ human capital management division, said that beyond offerings such as backup care and flexible schedules, employers can also create a supportive environment for working parents to alleviate their stress.