First, there was Take Your Child to Work Day. Then, Take Your Dog to Work Day (yes, this is a real event that started in 1999) and now, there is “Take Your Parents to Work Day”. On November 6, 2014, LinkedIn is encouraging businesses across the globe to allow employees to bring their parents to work.
Started in 2012-2013, Take Your Parents to Work Day has found popularity among technology companies such as LinkedIn and Google, as well as more traditional companies, such as Northwestern Mutual and Starbucks. According to LinkedIn, the purpose of this event is to enable children to say “thank you” to their parents for what their parents have done to help them. It also enables parents to see where their children work and have a better understanding of what exactly their children do for a living.
A 2013 survey showed that one-third of parents had difficulty understanding what their child does for a living (User Interface Designer, Search Engine Optimizer or Social Media Manager anyone?), two-thirds of parents wanted to learn more about what their child does for a living and one-half of parents believe that they could better support their child if they had more knowledge about their child’s job and workplace. For Millennials (currently age 34 or under), increased knowledge and understanding by their parents can be instrumental in their career paths as 25% of them seek their parents advice before taking a job. For the companies, parents may be instrumental in encouraging employee loyalty and retention.
Take Your Parents to Work Day is not just for technology companies. As of 2013, some of the most misunderstood jobs by parents included investment banker, public relations manager, sociologist, data scientist and actuary.
So if you are interested in hosting your employees’ parents, get moving to join the festivities on November 6th! LinkedIn even has an online toolkit for employers.
