The scene is all too familiar scene in homes across America: parents are having to navigate and manage their children’s care, education and well-being while tending to their professional responsibilities at work. In many cases, this is all happening while under one roof. Indeed, as COVID-19 continues to impact our lives, the challenges faced by our employees who are also parents is unprecedented.
“The Penn Medicine Workforce Wellness Committee launched PennMedicineTogether to recognize that no matter what your role in Penn Medicine, you are important to its success, and we are here to support you,” said Lisa Bellini, MD, senior vice dean for Academic Affairs in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. “PMT spans wellness, child support options, mental health offerings through COBALT, expressions of gratitude, etc. In each area, we are trying to meet people when they are to help them navigate this ongoing crisis.”
The UPHS Employee Benefits and Wellness Team has come up with several resources that provide options for both childcare and educational support for employees and their families. The options include resources for independent childcare (infant through pre-K), for families to safely connect and share care in the geographic area, and for school-age children who need childcare to help with online/hybrid learning, tutoring and other services. Education support options can be found by visiting this site: https://www.med.upenn.edu/PennMedicineTogether/our-families/.
“As a mom of two young children, I have empathy for what our families are going through. We don’t want our employees to feel like they’re on their own dealing with this all by themselves,” said Jen Brady, associate director of Employee Benefits and Wellness. “It’s important that they feel supported with realistic options to help them do the most important job — raising and taking care of their children.”
Brady also suggested that employees work with their managers in balancing work and childcare schedules, helping to ensure they meet their commitments and keep life running smoothly.