Checklist: How to Support Working Mothers in the Workplace

Quick look: Millions of mothers across the U.S. are active in the workforce, and many seek employers who align with their needs for flexible schedules, comprehensive employee benefits plans, and supportive company cultures. This Mother’s Day, we’re highlighting what today’s working moms value most, and how organizations can adapt their policies and benefits packages to build supportive, family-friendly workplaces.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 74% of mothers with children under age 18 work, and nearly 70% of those with children under age 6 are employed.

With millions of moms juggling personal and professional priorities, employers have the opportunity to provide much-needed support and enhance their ability to attract and retain this vital segment of the workforce.

So, what does work look like for mothers?

A variety of factors shape their experience. To better understand and meet their needs, small business leaders should first review recent data on employee benefits, work culture, and mental health trends.

Employee benefits

In its 2025 Working Parents Survey, global professional services firm KPMG gathered data from 1,000 U.S. corporate employees identifying as parents. The results reveal which benefits these workers value most and are likely to have the greatest impact on their well-being and job satisfaction. Key findings include:

• The most desired benefit is enhanced paid parental, medical, and sick leave
• 46% of working parents want employer-led programs to help reduce burnout and improve well-being
• Approximately half of survey participants report struggling with ongoing childcare arrangements and seek more flexible work schedules

Company culture

Organizational culture and employee satisfaction go hand in hand, and a family-friendly workplace allows employers to better attract, retain, and support working mothers.

While significant strides have been made for women in the workplace, there is still room for further improvement. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 25% of working moms have turned down a promotion due to struggling to balance work and parenting, signaling the value a flexible work environment can provide.

Additionally, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) reports that hiring managers are less likely to hire mothers than women without children, and when they do, they offer a lower salary. This can negatively impact mothers’ lifetime earnings and retirement readiness, even if unintentional.

Mental health and stress

While not localized to the workplace, employees’ mental health challenges can be felt within it. Mental health struggles are associated with decreased productivity, lower engagement, higher absenteeism, and reduced physical and daily functioning capabilities, ultimately impacting business performance.

A recent advisory from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights the current state of parental mental wellness:

• 41% of parents state that most days they cannot function due to stress
• 65% of parents and guardians feel lonely
• 33% of parents reported high levels of stress during the last month

Checklist: 4 ways to support working mothers in the workplace

Many mothers want and need to stay active in the workforce. Employers can help them (and the rest of their employees) do their best by providing flexible work options, a well-rounded benefits package, and a welcoming culture. Here’s how:

✓ Identify where you are

To most effectively assist your employees who are mothers, you must first understand what your workplace is like for them.

Look at your management team and determine if any working mothers hold those roles. If not, is that something you can change?

You may use your HR platform’s reporting functions to examine retention rates for working moms and notice any relevant patterns. Are the mothers at your organization staying, or are they resigning, and why may that be? ExtensisHR’s DEI Dashboard can help by sharing actionable data on pay equity, salary trends, employee turnover, promotions, and previous hires.

Business leaders can also administer anonymous employee pulse surveys to gather honest feedback and opinions about their workplace culture, employee benefits packages, and more.

✓ Offer personalized benefits

Employee benefits are more important than ever to today’s top talent, and they can help small businesses compete with larger organizations. As you plan your company’s benefits package, consider the entire family lifecycle—from pregnancy to college—and provide benefits where needed.

To appeal to working parents, employers should consider offering family-friendly benefits, such as:

• An inclusive family-forming support program featuring:
  • Access to benefits experts, fertility clinicians, emotional counselors, and lawyers
  • Discounted rates at fertility clinics and adoption and surrogacy agencies
  • Personalized care plans
  • Prescription ordering and delivery
  • Support and educational resources for every stage of growing a family
• A healthcare plan with a flexible spending account (FSA) that can be used to pay for childcare, including preschool, summer day camp, before- or after-school programs, and child or adult daycare.
• Mental health support, including access to an employee assistance program (EAP) and health insurance plans covering mental health services. This is especially important when you consider that about one in eight new mothers develop clinical postpartum depression.
• Paid family leave can positively affect maternal health, paternal caregiving, health outcomes, and breastfeeding rates. However, as of May 2025, it’s only mandated in 13 states (California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Oregon) and the District of Columbia.* That means many new parents rely on their employers to provide paid leave, which business leaders should consider offering.
• Financial planning for college, including assistance with establishing a 529 college savings plan, which can also help parents receive federal and state tax breaks, age-based plan options, prepaid tuition, and more.
• A breastfeeding support program with access to expert lactation consultants and tools like a mobile app to track feedings, connect with other new mothers, and more.

* Please note that paid family leave policies vary significantly from state to state. Please check your local laws and regulations to understand the specific provisions that apply to your situation. This blog provides general information and should not be taken as legal advice.

Communicating these benefits is just as important as offering them. During onboarding, new hires should be informed about these plans, and any benefit additions or updates should be shared with all employees. Sometimes emails can be overlooked, so hosting internal webinars on especially significant changes can be an effective way to keep everyone informed.

✓ Foster a welcoming office environment

Everyone, including working mothers, deserves to experience a welcoming work environment and company culture.

A good starting point is providing a comfortable, private, and clean lactation room. This space doesn’t need to be elaborate; a quiet area with a lockable door, comfortable chair, and refrigerator for breast milk would suffice and put new working moms at ease. It’s important to note any applicable laws regarding break time and space required for nursing mothers, such as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act.

Beyond physical accommodations, business leaders should encourage employees to talk about their families, if they feel comfortable. Making family life a welcome topic and facilitating discussions about parenting can make working mothers feel less alone. These conversations can help mitigate any bias (whether conscious or unconscious) about working parents, something that can also be addressed by administering an anti-bias course via a learning and development platform.

Lastly, mentorship programs can be a great resource for all employees, including working moms. These programs can create meaningful connections among women and give them a safe, vulnerable space to discuss work-life balance, their parenting and career journeys, and what it’s like to be a mother and a professional.

✓ Provide flexibility

Life is busy, especially when children are involved. Further, the KPMG research mentioned above found that over half of working parents struggle with ongoing childcare arrangements.

Employers can ease the strain by implementing hybrid or remote work options for their employees, if possible. This flexibility enables employees to take their children to appointments or pick them up from school without using their paid time off (PTO).

Flexible arrangements also positively influence mental health. According to the Boston University School of Public Health, workers with greater job flexibility are 25% less likely to experience serious psychological distress and 13% less likely to experience daily anxiety.

Please note that workplace flexibility and competitive employee benefits should be fair and equitable across all employees, and mental health issues like burnout can impact all workers. We do not wish to erase those experiences or realities by focusing only on working mothers.

Everything working mothers want—from one place

From comparing potential benefits to reimagining company culture, tailoring your workplace to better provide support for working moms can feel daunting—but you don’t need to tackle it alone.

Professional employer organizations (PEOs), a type of outsourcing partner, specialize in equipping small businesses with dedicated human resources (HR) support in crafting policies on paid family leave, lactation rooms, mentorship programs, and more.

PEOs, like ExtensisHR, also administer and manage a variety of Fortune 500-level benefits, including the following perks designed to appeal to working parents:

• Health insurance plans with mental health services and FSA options
• An inclusive family-forming support program
• A breastfeeding benefit plan, including an employer toolkit with information on milk expression policies, lactation room signage, and more
• College planning services, including cost calculators, information about different types of student aid, and access to 529 savings accounts

And with ExtensisHR, your entire workplace will always feel valued and poised for success, thanks to access to a dedicated SHRM-certified HR Manager and a customer service team that answers the phone in 10 seconds or less.

Looking to make your workplace more accommodating and welcoming to mothers? Learn more about ExtensisHR’s PEO solution, or contact us to discover how we can help you better support working moms.