A large portion of workforce management is dealing with new challenges, and helicopter parenting is one of the latest obstacles HR departments have to overcome. This style of parenting refers to when mothers, fathers and other guardians monitor their children's every move and are always nearby.
It's easy to assume the problem is that employees are spending more and more time away from the office to watch their kids, but that's not the issue. The matter at hand is that helicopter parents are coming to work to guide their grown offspring with professional obligations.
The trend is becoming more common, as it's been gaining steam for a few years. Back in 2012, National Public Radio covered this topic and spoke with Megan Huffnagle, a former human resources manager at a Denver theme park, who was blindsided by a parent after hiring someone.
"An employee was hired as an IT intern, and the parent called and proceeded to tell me how talented her son was, and how he deserved much more [compensation], and that he could make much more money outside of this position," Huffnagle said. "I think there was a little bit of the roll of the eyes and a bit of a blush [from the employee]."
Ban parents or accept them?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to dealing with helicopter parents. One is to accept them as part of the modern workplace. Neil Howe, a consultant, told NPR that it's a bit like an ancient martial art.
"You don't want to block the energy of the parent. It's like jujitsu. You just want to channel it in a certain direction," Howe said.
Some companies have embraced this philosophy. For instance, LinkedIn held Bring Your Parents To Work Day on Nov. 7, 2013, according to The Globe and Mail. The event was started to boost morale and help parents understand what their kids do at the social network.
The alternative is to ban parents outright, or least make sure they have a limited presence in the office. This is likely the preferable approach for most enterprises because having moms, dads and guardians running around at work can be distracting for everyone, especially their children.
Regardless of which route you choose, you need to find a way to deal with helicopter parenting. It may only be a matter of time tile someone's father starts swinging by to help on special projects, so there should be a policy in place before that happens.