With a focus on recruiting and retaining talent, many businesses have expanded family-friendly policies and benefit offerings, such as flexible work hours, paid parental leave and subsidized child care. While these improvements are valued by many employees, organizations are still neglecting a growing share of the workforce. In a recent article, “HR rules lag behind workforce shifts,” Professor Peter McGraw provides recommendations for employers seeking to cater to single employees.

An Important Demographic

About one in three midlife U.S. adults considers themselves single, meaning that they are not taking advantage of many of the family-friendly benefits offered by their employer. This is also relevant when considering trends for those first entering the workforce: Population forecasters from the Institute for Family Studies project that about 33% of Gen Zers will never marry. As a single member of the Gen Z population myself, I want to get just as much value out of my benefits package as my colleagues with dependents.

Disparities Make Single Employees Feel Undervalued

Many single employees feel the burn when their employer’s “family-friendly” policies fail to account for their needs as a family of one. This disparity can be seen in organizational cultures, as well. In one survey, 62% of single workers reported feeling treated differently from colleagues with children, and 30% said this reinforced the message that their lives mattered less. There is an established pattern that—in accommodating those who have familial responsibilities at home—single, childless employees are more often expected to travel, work longer hours and take less desirable vacation times than their colleagues with children.

Gaps can be seen in compensation packages offered to single and married workers. A 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 95% of large employers extend health coverage to employees’ spouses. While this is a great perk for married employees, single employees typically receive no equivalent value. This gap can also be seen in life insurance policies, retirement plans, wellness programs, leave policies and employee assistance programs.

Building Single-Friendly Workplaces

The issue here is that many policies are built to cater to one kind of lifestyle—but they have failed to keep pace with how many people live today. McGraw’s article offers the following considerations for making sure employees who are unmarried and/or not parents feel valued.  

• Consider offering a flexible, cafeteria-style benefits plan that gives each employee the opportunity to budget based on their own needs. Netflix already does this by offering employees flat-dollar allowances based on their chosen medical enrollment tier to cover medical, dental and vision premiums—regardless of marital status—with unused portions partially refundable. Currently at Netflix, up to $16,000 per employee yearly is available for the “employee only” tier, and up to $27,000 is available for the “Employee + Spouse/Partner or Child(ren)” tier and “Employee + Family” tier.
• Offer broader leave policies. Perhaps bereavement leave could expand to cover close friends, or the policy could allow employees to exchange leave types based on need.
• Ensure fairness in scheduling. Give single employees the same consideration as parents when weighing requests for time off during a workday, flexible hours and changes in scheduled hours. Don’t default to assigning undesirable work hours, such as weekends, late nights, holidays and travel, to childless employees more often than parents. Follow up by making sure co-workers aren’t pressuring childless employees to trade vacation times with them.
• Rethink your paid time off (PTO) arrangements. PTO banks with days that can be rolled over or cashed out can work well for all employees: Parents can use PTO when their child is sick, and any employees who do not use all their PTO could cash out or roll over some of their unused days.
• Remember that all employees have important life events. While parents receive time off for pregnancies, childless employees might enjoy the opportunity to take a sabbatical for an approved purpose, such as a life learning activity, allowing them to pursue their personal interests.
• Focus on creating an inclusive workplace culture. Just as organizations affirm diversity in age, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity, they can commit to valuing employees regardless of relationship status. Small changes are also important in signaling belonging. When employers use wording like “you and your loved ones” instead of “you and your family” in staff communications, it acknowledges relationships that exist beyond traditional structures.

If you are wondering whether any of your organizational policies could put your single employees at a disadvantage, McGraw suggests asking yourself, “Would this policy harm a married employee who gets divorced?” If so, the policy may need to change. Many people shift between singlehood and partnership throughout their lives—Take the time to ensure that your workplace makes all employees feel valued, whatever their status.