Are Parents or Singles More Productive at Work?
Multi-tasking, Modeling Behavior, and Efficiency are Key Factors
Oct 12, 2009
Wow! There’s an automatic assumption that if employees don’t have children, they don’t have a time crunch. Why is that? Who’s to say they don’t have a significant other, aging parents, and/or pets to worry about and care for?
The mistaken belief that married workers are more settled and dependable is a throwback to the 1950s when men felt they needed to marry to move up the ranks. On the other hand, believing that employees without children are more productive because they have fewer distractions is just as wrong.
Parents Use Free Time More Wisely
According to Robert Pagliarini’s article "Do People Without Kids Waste Their Free Time?" childless individuals “are inefficient and don’t fully value their free time.”
Pagliarini seems to base his assumptions on his personal habits. According to the article, when his mother-in-law cares for his daughter and allows him some free time for himself, he becomes unproductive and gets almost nothing done. However, this might also be a sign that given free time, a parent won’t necessarily put it to good use either.
But all is not lost. What good parents can bring to the workplace is their ability to model good behavior. As writer Lauren Young states in her blog, "Using Your Parent Skills to Be a Better Boss," parents understand the impression they make on their young; therefore, they are in a good position to model appropriate work behavior.
Who Makes the Best Employee: Single or Married?
Ask this question of workforce researcher Mary B. Young, an adjunct professor at Boston University, and she’ll tell you that “life status” doesn’t have a bearing on work commitment. In fact, marital or parental status doesn’t predict commitment at all. It has to do with the individual involved and how they view themselves and their work environment.
It’s important to remember what many experts have said for years, businesses are social entities. That means workers who are happy in their personal relationships, married or not, and who feel social inclusion at their place of employment are generally the most productive. It’s all about their relationships.
This also means that parents are not automatically better multi-taskers or more efficient if this isn’t their nature. And singles are not automatically flexible to work overtime or change work hours because they are single. There are no tried-and-true or broad-based conjectures that can be construed from someone’s marital status.
Productivity Tips for All Employees
Regardless of a worker’s marital or parental status, learning to be productive is a matter of taking the time to find out what helps them as an individual. Things such as making to-do lists, saying ‘no’ more often or taking regular breaks are considered important to worker productivity.
Anyone who wants to be more productive, regardless if they are parents or not, needs to take the time to analyze what is holding them back. That means considering personal bad habits (i.e. procrastination, distractions) as well as seeking out helpful tips (i.e. delegation, organization) to boost their productivity.
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