A new report from the Centre for Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) at the University of Cambridge suggests that emotionally healthy workplaces might have longer-term benefits beyond supporting workforce performance, productivity, staff retention and team dynamics.

The report suggests that when employers support the emotional health of parents in the workforce, this can support their capacity to provide nurturing and stimulating care which supports their children’s developing emotional health.

Parents’ day-to-day experiences at work shape their emotional health, how they feel and how they behave. This can last beyond the workplace: There is evidence for example, that stress at work impacts on family life. [i]

This is an issue that employers need to take seriously, the authors claim. Particularly given that it has been estimated that improvements in early childhood development would lead to £27.5bn in additional earning for the UK workforce and £11.8bn additional profits for business. [ii]

The researchers created theoretical models, using examples of employment practices used in organisations such as The LEGO Group, Ella’s Kitchen and Timpson, to illustrate how they believed these practices could impact parents’ emotional health, with knock on impacts on their parenting skills and behaviours, and their children’s development.

With around 4.69 million working parents of children under five in the UK[iii], the report calls for more attention to be paid to how employers support the emotional health of parents in their workforce.

Peter Leonard, Chief Executive, The Centre for Emotional Health, who commissioned the report, said: “Creating emotionally healthy workplaces is not about “yoga sessions or wellbeing hours” but about the habits and structures that create genuinely emotionally healthy environments. This will not only benefit individuals and workplaces; it is also likely to have a positive impact on employees’ lives outside of work, including family life.”

Sally Hogg, who co-authored the report while working as Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge when the report was written, said: “There is clear evidence that stress at work impacts on life outside work too. It feels obvious that improving parents’ experiences in the workplace will have wider benefits on their family life, but this has not been well researched. We know many employers are committed to improving employees’ quality of life and to having social impact. It would be fantastic to see more work done to identify what really works, so employers know the things they can do to make a positive difference to this generation, and the next!”

[i] Heinrich, C. J. (2014). Parents’ employment and children’s wellbeing. The Future of Children, 24(1), 121-142.

[ii] Deloitte (2024). Prioritising early childhood for a happier, healthier society How businesses can drive, and benefit from, transformative change in the UK. Report for The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales On behalf of The Business Taskforce for Early Childhood.

[iii] Office of National Statistics, cited in Deloitte. (2024). Prioritising early childhood for a happier, healthier society How businesses can drive, and benefit from, transformative change in the UK. Report for The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales On behalf of The Business Taskforce for Early Childhood.