Supporting Working Parents - Building Family Friendly Workplaces with Dr Rosina McAlpine

In this episode of Community Matters, Nicky Sloan sits down with Dr Rosina McAlpine, author, researcher and educator, work and family wellbeing expert and the founder of Win Win Parenting, to explore why working parents are experiencing such high levels of stress, overwhelm and burnout, and what we need to do about it. “We're asking working parents to work like they don't have a family, and we're asking them to raise a family like they don't need to work”, says Dr Rosina. The statistics are perfectly clear - three-quarters (73%) of Australian couple families with children under 15 have both parents working. Yet many of the systems we rely on, from school hours to traditional workplace arrangements, remain unchanged from a time when one parent was generally at home. The pressures aren't shared equally either. Women continue to shoulder a disproportionate amount of unpaid childcare, household responsibilities and the often-invisible mental load of managing family life. Add the growing demands of supporting ageing parents, and it's easy to see why so many people in the "sandwich generation" feel stretched. Rosina challenges the idea that managing work and family life is simply an individual responsibility. When there are so many working parents and so many of them struggle, the systems around them need to change. Nicky and Rosina explore what genuinely family-friendly workplaces look like, and why traditional wellbeing initiatives, such as gym memberships and meditation programs, while well intentioned, often miss the mark for working parents dealing with competing responsibilities. Rosina shares a practical five-step approach to creating workplaces where parents can thrive: 1. understanding the challenges employees face, 2. equipping leaders to respond, 3. providing evidence-based support, 4. building a genuinely family-friendly culture, and 5. measuring the results. Importantly, they discuss how these approaches can work for organisations of all sizes and budgets, including community services providers already facing significant financial and workforce pressures. With women making up such a large proportion of the care workforce, ignoring this issue is not an option for the community sector. The conversation also looks beyond the workplace. From parental leave and childcare to community connections and support for families caring for children with additional needs or ageing relatives, Rosina reminds us that raising the next generation takes a village. This episode will affirm the lived experience of working parents everywhere and is essential listening for employers, leaders, colleagues, policymakers, and everyone who has a role in building healthier, more supportive communities. As Dr Rosina explains - when working parents thrive, the benefits reach well beyond the individual. They strengthen families, workplaces, communities and the next generation. Supporting working parents isn't just good for families. It's good for everyone. Resources and Links: Win Win Parenting – Dr Rosina McAlpine: Evidence-based parenting and workplace wellbeing programs designed to help working parents and organisations thrive. https://www.winwinparenting.com/ Family-Friendly Workplace Guide: Win Win Parenting 5-Step Free Guide for People Leaders. https://www.winwinparenting.com/closi... Fair Work Ombudsman – Flexible Working Arrangements: Information about employee rights and employer responsibilities when requesting flexible working arrangements. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and... SafeWork NSW – Psychosocial Hazards: Guidance for employers on identifying and managing workplace risks to psychological health and wellbeing. https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/hazar...