In many African and conservative cultures, parenthood is framed as your personal business, not the organisation’s concern, unless, of course, it’s Father’s Day or a glossy CSR campaign on “empowering women”.
Why does it still feel like parenting is something to be hidden behind mute buttons and apology emails? A friend of mine kept referring to the fact that she had to bring in her child to work as a crisis in one of our more recent catch-ups. On the one hand, I get it, but on the other, I feel we’re two decades into the 21st century, but we still haven’t changed much if the idea of a child in a Zoom call, or worse, in the actual office, still feels like a code red situation in too many workplaces.
Especially in many African and conservative cultures, parenthood is framed as your personal business, not the organisation’s concern, unless, of course, it’s Father’s Day or a glossy CSR campaign on “empowering women”. In an interview about parenting, Michelle Obama was quoted as saying, “It’s so easy for us to curl up into this protective instinct and not talk about the messy or more complicated bits of our lives. It can feel dangerous to expose those imperfect parts of ourselves. But over the years, I have learnt that it’s really the opposite," which leads me to believe that perhaps the most meaningful empowerment happens in the inconvenient moments, the unexpected school closures, the fever at daycare, and the “Mama, I need you” whisper in the middle of your board presentation. If we can’t hold space for working parents in those moments, then our inclusion policies aren’t working; they’re simply performative.
According to the International Labour Organisation, nearly 42 per cent of women in Sub-Saharan Africa cite lack of childcare support as a barrier to workforce participation. In a 2024 UNICEF report, workplaces that offered “parent-responsive policies” (like flexible hours or emergency child visits) saw 27 per cent higher employee retention and 21 per cent higher team morale. A McKinsey study found that parenting skills, like multitasking, crisis response, and emotional regulation, correlate with higher leadership effectiveness scores.
Perhaps it’s time to expand the definition of professionalism. Maybe we should “humanise” the working parent and normalise the fact that sometimes, your child might be at work with you. That doesn’t make you less competent; it makes you incredibly resourceful. Your toddler in the breakroom doesn’t disrupt productivity; he disrupts the illusion that we’re all robots in suits. When leaders show up as whole people, their teams feel safer doing the same. That’s when real innovation occurs, but in psychological safety.
5 ways to foster a parent-inclusive workplace culture
1. Create “parent emergency” guidelines. Spell out a simple, no-shame policy: if your childcare falls through, here’s what support you can expect, be it a remote day, quiet room use, or kid-at-desk allowance.
2. Designate a family-friendly zone. A spare conference room can double as a child-safe space. Stock it with crayons and a comfy place for a child to rest their head.
3. Train teams, not just parents. Encourage colleagues to understand how to support parents instead of sighing when they see a child; inclusion is a team sport!
4. Highlight parenting as a leadership strength. In performance reviews, value adaptability, emotional intelligence, and prioritisation, the very muscles parenthood builds.
5. Rethink “professionalism” in your dress code, meeting culture, and expectations. If someone can lead a strategy session while rocking a baby to sleep, that’s not unprofessional; it’s multitasking in its most elite form.
We all benefit when parents are supported because when someone feels safe enough to bring their whole self, including their child, to work, they’re not just surviving, they’re leading by modelling courage, adaptability and grace under pressure.
