{"id":11179,"date":"2024-10-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2024-10-18T00:38:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T13:38:59","slug":"parents-families-equality-group-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/news\/stories\/parents-families-equality-group-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesforce Equality Group Leader on What It Means to Be a Caregiver"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story is the final installment in a spotlight series on our <\/em>Equality Groups<\/em><\/a> and how they serve Salesforce employees globally. Check out previous interviews with Genforce<\/a>, Indigenousforce<\/a>, and Outforce<\/a> leaders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Salesforce Parents and Families is a Salesforce Equality Group focusing on driving equality and equity for employees in all stages of their unique parenting, family, and caregiver journeys. The group\u2019s goal is to raise awareness of the importance of family care and how it affects employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with Stephanie Adams<\/a>, a portfolio leader for public sector customer success and the Global President of Salesforce Parents and Families. She opened up about the strength of community, the challenges of modern caregiving, and the many ways people can connect through their familial experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Salesforce Parents and Families is the company\u2019s newest Equality Group. How did this group get started?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce Parents and Families was formerly an affinity group called \u201cParentforce.\u201d It stemmed from parents across the company coming together on internal discussion boards to share things like where to find babysitters, how to pick the best stroller, or advice for navigating parenting milestones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the pandemic, we saw not only parents but also caregivers face even more pressure as they juggled the demands of both home and work. We became an official Equality Group in July 2022 and today have over 12,500 members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Why was it important to create a group like this at Salesforce?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Parents are facing more pressure than ever. The U.S. Surgeon General<\/a> recently issued a warning about the stressors that impact the mental health and well-being of parents and caregivers. Twenty-three percent<\/a> of U.S. adults in the workforce are also part of the sandwich generation<\/a>, which is the population of people who care for their aging parents and their own children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressures that compound for this group can be overwhelming. We have an opportunity to offer them resources, community, and help coach managers on how to best support their colleagues who are caregivers. We know parenting and caregiving are huge components of a person\u2019s identity, and when these individuals come to work, we want to ensure they know they\u2019re not alone in this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We know parenting and caregiving are huge components of a person\u2019s identity, and when these individuals come to work, we want to ensure they know they\u2019re not alone in this journey.<\/p>\nStephanie Adams, Global President of Salesforce Parents and Families<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Q. What are your vision and priorities as Global President of Salesforce Parents and Families?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For me, this work is about creating a space for parents and caregivers to connect with colleagues who can relate to their unique experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do this across our global hubs to help our employees in culturally relevant ways. For example, in India, we had a photo contest encouraging members to share photos of their families celebrating Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami. Our region-specific Slack channels allow people to post about their caregiving experiences, share their gratitude, and encourage others to use our family support benefits, like Cleo<\/a> and Progyny<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also engage people leaders to ensure they know how to best support their employees who are parents and caregivers. When we do this, we create a more inclusive workplace, and employees can perform their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. What\u2019s an example of how Salesforce Parents and Families has affected the business?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of our key focus areas is ensuring that people returning from parental or family leave have a seamless transition back into the workplace. We\u2019ve found that the experience can vary depending on many factors, including the team or whether or not the employee\u2019s manager has experienced returning from leave themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve partnered with our Employee Success team to help improve this process. We piloted a cohort program in Australia and New Zealand where we grouped new parents together with other individuals who had children around the same time to help navigate their return to work. Instead of having to consult online forums, we found that new parents prefer to connect with real people for guidance or ideas. It\u2019s a much more human and personal experience. And we\u2019re working to expand these efforts to other regions around the world.
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