Are eCommerce Companies Doing Enough for Working Parents?

Are eCommerce companies doing enough to support their employees who are also parents? From flexible working hours to comprehensive parental leave policies, the level of support offered can significantly impact employee well-being and productivity.

At Cranberry Panda, we value family-friendly practices highly, and this topic is particularly significant to us. In our 2024 eCommerce Salary Report, we explored this issue in depth, and we're excited to share our findings with you.

Let’s get started!

Meet the eCommerce working parents!

Our survey of eCommerce professionals found that 32% are parents, and among them, 67% are male and 33% are female. This data provides insight into the demographics of working parents within the industry, which can help shape more effective support policies and highlight where employers should be offering more support. Working fathers traditionally don’t receive enough time off or paid leave when their children are born, so extended leave could be an avenue for eCom employers to take.

Speaking of support offerings, let’s look at what employers are doing well, and where they could use some improvement…

Employer support: the positives and negatives

We found that the most common offerings from employers are:

• Remote working (57%)
• Shorter/flexible working hours (39%)

This data shows that many eCommerce businesses allow remote work and offer flexible hours, which is especially important for parents with children at home.

However, fewer offer child-sickness leave (17%) or on-site childcare facilities (0%), indicating a lack of support in these areas.

A quarter (25%) of our responses shared that their employers completely lack support for working parents in the business. This highlights a significant need for improvement within the eCommerce sector.

Do working parents encounter biases?

We asked our working parents to share their experiences. Here are just a few of their stories!

It's clear that many parents are dealing with various challenges, but the common thread is that insufficient support is adding to their stress, as they juggle multiple responsibilities.

This imbalance can lead to decreased job satisfaction, lower productivity, and even burnout. For businesses, this means potentially higher turnover rates and a less engaged workforce. To foster a more inclusive and supportive environment, eCommerce companies need to prioritise the needs of working parents, implementing policies that offer real, tangible support.

However, whilst we received a lot of negative responses, we also heard from parents who haven’t encountered biases and who feel supported in their roles which is positive news!

Making vital changes

Are you surprised by our findings? To support all employees, it's important to customise benefits to meet different needs. We hope next year's results will be more positive.

For more insights into the challenges of working parents and other eCommerce topics, download the free 2024 eCommerce Salary Report today or take a look at some of our other blogs!