Returning from parental leave is an abrupt transition. As a new parent, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to have a compassionate employer in your corner, supporting both your growing family and parental mental health.

Not all parents are so fortunate. Unlike most OECD countries, the U.S. has no national protections for universal paid parental leave. True, the Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees qualified workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. But it only covers about half of American workers.

That means employers need to step up by offering assistance to help their workers succeed in all roles: as employees, managers, team members – and new parents.

Unfortunately, many are moving in the wrong direction. New data shows employers are actually shrinking paid leave policies. The number of companies offering paid maternity leave beyond what is required by law dropped to 35% this year, from 53% in 2020.

This cutback comes at a time when parents are feeling more pressure to return to work earlier than they may like. Rising inflation and childcare shortages create financial stress and make it more difficult to find support. And on top of that, a potential winter resurgence of COVID-19 and rising cases of respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) loom over the physical health of children and parents alike.

Mental health concerns abound for new parents navigating this climate. Mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTS, bipolar, and substance abuse, affect 1 in 5 new mothers or 800,000 people in the U.S every year. All parents — including fathers, partners, and adoptive parents — can experience changes in mood and mental health when a new baby arrives according to the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance.

So, what can employers do to ease these transitions back to work and support employee mental health?

Evaluate leave plans to make sure they are equitable and appropriate. Offering parental leave can benefit organizations, improving recruitment, retention, and employee engagement. Strengthened paid family leave policies help businesses reduce costs and allow workers to meet their health needs and caregiving responsibilities.

Develop mechanisms for coverage and delegation to keep critical work moving forward while somebody is on leave. No workstream should depend wholly on one person. Parental leave coverage plans with statuses, details, due dates, and points of contact enable teams to continue advancing work when a new parent is on leave.

Raise awareness about mental health conditions and the stress that may be experienced with becoming a new parent. In particular, employers must educate employees, including both men and women, on the often-overlooked topic of postpartum depression – a medical condition associated with symptoms of depression after becoming a new parent.  Employees benefit from knowing about the early warning signs of mental health conditions, how to talk openly about their mental health and how to connect people with needed support.

Offer flexibility, such as staggered re-entry, part-time work, telecommuting, and flexible scheduling. Employees know best about how to manage all their professional and personal responsibilities. Rigid policies that exclude employee input won’t work for everyone.

Open lines of communication for employees to discuss their schedules and capacity for work. Communication creates an environment of psychological safety, key to ensuring high performance. Parents should feel comfortable stepping back when it’s critical to support their families instead of feeling forced to make a choice.

It takes a village to raise a child. That includes strong, intentional employers that fully support new parents managing the transition back to work.