~by Leigh Hanson~

The decision to go back to work is always a tough one, especially when you have kids. Are your children better off if you work? Maybe it’s something you’ve thought about for a while or maybe it’s become something necessary to make ends meet. Either way, it’s a transition faced by many, and it has parents worried about spending less time with their children and how that can affect their children’s development in the future. It turns out that those parents who spend at least some time working are doing more good than previously thought.

Are Your Children Better Off if You Work?

Studies show that parents, particularly mothers spending some time at a job or in the workforce, have a positive impact on their own children’s earning potential later in life. A recent study quoted by The New York Times found that daughters of working mothers in the United States were earning 23 percent more than those who grew up with stay-at-home moms. The same study, which surveyed 50,000 adults in 25 countries, found that the daughters of working mothers went on to finish more years of education and had a stronger probability of working in supervisory roles with larger incomes. Interestingly, it was also found that boys raised in these environments were more involved with child care and housework.

With these developments in the perception of working families, more companies are taking strides to accommodate not only women but both parents. And they’re doing so by providing greater assets and programs to make the work-life balance a little easier to achieve. These programs include maternity and paternity leave, or providing flexibility in scheduling that allows for parents to accommodate the many obligations of both the career and the household.

Verizon is dedicated to fostering a supportive workplace that provides equal benefits for all of its employees including working mothers, working fathers, military families and same-sex parents. The company was named one of The Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies for 13 years straight, and it provides many resources that make it easier for parents to get back to work without disrupting the balance at home.

Thanks to those aforementioned programs, businesses are recognizing how important it is to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Verizon offers a Dependent Care Spending Account to help employees with the ever-rising cost of child care and allows them to provide kids with better care than previously possible. By devoting less time, money and energy to child care, parents can focus on raising their children and doing their jobs without worrying about one taking attention away from the other. And this can be accomplished through a program such as the Employee Assistance Program. It’s a free counseling and referral service available to employees who need assistance when it comes to child care, parenting and adoption.

There’s a reason Verizon was picked as one of the top companies for single mothers for over a decade. As the necessity of a two-income household becomes the norm in America, it’s important to find a company that places as much emphasis on families as it does employees. Companies are quickly learning that the return on investment when it comes to families is huge when parents can focus on their jobs and their home lives individually. It’s a win-win for everyone, and it’s great to see more companies catching on.

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Meet the Author: Leigh Hanson

Leigh Hanson is a freelance writer based out of Los Angeles. When she’s not writing or researching her latest piece, Leigh advocates for working parents who are seeking a better work/life balance.