When we talk about caregiving in the workplace, our minds often go straight to new parents. Maternity and paternity leave policies have evolved to support employees navigating the early years of parenthood, but there’s another stage of parenting that requires just as much flexibility and empathy, raising teenagers.
Working parents realize the importance of supporting their children through the pivotal and often volatile teenage years, but many workplaces don’t offer the flexibility to step back from work outside of traditional maternity and paternity policies. “Teenternity Leave” represents an emerging workforce trend aimed to address this need for working parents.
A Personal Story: Kate
I had the pleasure of interviewing my colleague, Kate, about her teenternity experience. For her, this idea wasn’t a formal policy or a buzzword. It was a deeply personal decision.
After more than two decades with her employer, Kate chose to pause her career and spend more intentional time with her two children, then in seventh and ninth grade. “They were at an age where they still liked to hang out with me,” she said with a laugh, “but I knew that soon they wouldn’t. Time is our only resource that isn’t renewable, and I wanted to use it well.”
Kate’s leave lasted just over a year. During that time, she discovered the value of slowing down, showing up, and recalibrating her relationship with work. The time wasn’t necessarily marked by glamour as one might think but by everyday moments like driving her kids around, watching middle school golf matches, and simply existing without the constant pull of emails or meetings.
Kate’s story reflects a rising, if under-discussed, reality for many parents. The pressures of academic stress, social challenges, and mental health struggles tend to peak for teens during middle and high school, and parents with full-time jobs often lack the flexibility to be present for every moment.
This presents a workforce gap that traditional leave policies fail to address, and the problem isn’t unique to families. When employees feel they must choose between work and family stability, employers lose valuable talent.
Flexible Solutions for a Modern Workforce
Employers have long recognized the benefits of parental leave for infant care, but parenting during the teenage years present equally urgent needs that can directly affect workforce participation and retention.
Kate’s story highlights a key point: flexible policies can bolster the workforce, and employers who respond to this reality can gain a competitive edge. When employees are happy, turnover and its associated costs are reduced. Cultivating this flexibility in the workplace often leads to increased gratitude and productivity among teams.
For employers, this doesn’t mean rewriting every policy overnight. It means creating an adaptable framework that acknowledges life stages. Here are a few ways to start
1. Develop sabbatical or leave programs beyond parental or medical reasons.
Even short-term leaves of three to six months can give employees the reset they need to stay engaged long-term.
2. Offer flexible or reduced schedules for mid-career professionals.
Job-sharing, project-based roles, and flexible hours can help retain top talent who might otherwise exit the workforce.
3. Normalize career breaks in hiring and promotion practices.
Treating sabbaticals or family leaves as valid professional choices, not setbacks, helps create a more inclusive and sustainable culture.
4. Encourage open conversations about family needs.
Supportive leadership makes all the difference. When employees trust that their managers will listen, creative solutions emerge.
5. Invest in re-entry pathways.
Consider mentorship or “returnship” programs that help employees reintegrate after extended leaves.
The Business Case for Humanity
When companies allow employees to care for their families without penalty, they send a powerful message: people matter.
For Kate, her decision to take a “teenternity” break didn’t end her career. It transformed it. “I came back more mindful,” she said. “I set better boundaries. I left work for things that mattered, and I only went back because it was something I felt passionate about.”
That shift in mindset, choosing work intentionally rather than out of obligation, is what many workforce professionals are trying to foster. When organizations make room for employees to prioritize what matters most, they often return more focused, loyal, and creative.
Looking Ahead
Teenternity isn’t just about parenting. It’s about acknowledging that employees’ lives evolve and that work should evolve with them. In an era where burnout and attrition rates remain high, thoughtful flexibility can be a strategic advantage.
As Kate pointed out, you can’t get time back. This sentiment underscores the primary driver behind the push for employers to adopt flexible practices regarding leave policies. Most people can’t afford to simply stop working to spend time with their families, but employers can find a middle ground that meets employees where they are and builds a grateful, fully engaged workforce.
Employers who recognize this moment have a chance to lead with compassion and strategy. Supporting parents through every stage of life isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
By: Jackson Fort
Coordinator, Workforce Innovation Center at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber
