A working parents or caregivers ERG has a simple job that's hard to do well: help parents feel seen at work, not only supported on paper. The benefits page covers leave and childcare. The ERG covers the part a policy can't reach, like the Monday drop-off, the guilt, and the juggling.
Here are ideas that fit the calendar most ERGs already run on.
Spring: Bring Your Child to Work Day, for the little ones
Bring Your Child to Work Day is the fourth Thursday of April. On April 22, 2027, an ERG can make sure the youngest families have a reason to come too, with one short session: a story, a song, and a moment with their grown-up.
It's a high-visibility win for a small ERG budget, and it gives the parents of the youngest kids a reason to show up.
Year-round: welcome parents back from leave
Leave gets planned to the day. Then a parent walks back in on a Monday, and the plan is over exactly when the hard part starts. Pair returning parents with someone who has done it, and check in after the first few weeks, not only on day one.
Any time: a talk or fireside chat
Bring in a speaker who has lived it. A fireside chat about the joys, the juggling, and the guilt does something a policy update can't. It tells parents that the people they work with picture their whole family.
Ongoing: make room for stories
Lunch-and-learns, a parents channel, a photo wall of kids' drawings of what their parent does at work. Small and regular beats big and once a year.
"Jossy has an incredible story about her journey as a working parent, and the journey she went on to write Mommy Goes to Work to help ease separation anxiety between parents and their kids."Caregivers ERG · SimpliSafe
Why it's worth the ask
Belonging keeps people. Workers who are satisfied with their sense of belonging are 70% less likely to have seriously considered quitting in the past year (SHRM Global Employee Monitor, Q3 2026). An ERG that helps parents feel they belong is doing retention work, and that's the case to make when you ask for budget.
Planning your ERG's year?
Author Jossy runs talks, fireside chats, and Bring Your Child to Work Day sessions with HR, People, and ERG teams, in person or virtual.
