The global population is increasingly choosing to stay single, and while the battles of the heart aren’t necessarily relevant to HR, the rise of the “Solo Economy” does present challenges worth addressing. The term, coined by marketing and psychology expert Peter McGraw, refers to the growing community of families of one who are currently flooding the workplace and participating in society today. The rise of single-person households has frequently been discussed in the context of declining birth rates and changing dating habits, but their role in the workplace is often ignored.
Despite being highly-sought after as employees who are unlikely to have as many familial obligations to distract them from work, single employees are often an afterthought in the planning of workplace policies. There is often a greater emphasis on tailoring benefits towards those who need them most, and employees with childcare needs triumph in this regard. However, with more individuals choosing to traverse through their lives solo, it is also important to understand and address their needs in the workplace.
The rise of single-person households has given birth to the solo economy, but management policies haven’t necessarily kept up with the trends. (Image: Pexels)
Addressing the Solo Economy: Workplace Benefits Should Also Cater to the Families of One
Over the years, family-centric benefits have taken center stage, reshaping how organizations approach their workforce and cater to their needs. This is largely a good turn of events for families, and despite the current degree of investment, it remains a matter that requires additional exploration. Workplace benefits for families are slowly improving in their nature and quality, however, in the process of perfecting these benefits, singles get ignored at work. While most unattached employees may have already come to terms with the state of their personal lives, their professional lives aren’t always tailored to them.
Some believe that it is acceptable for single-person households to receive lower pay as they aren’t responsible for caring for families, but many forget that these individuals also have to sustain themselves without the luxury of falling back on a partner’s wages temporarily or benefiting from tax breaks, as many can in a dual-income household. Many also forget that caregiver leave can be just as useful to single employees, who might have to care for parents, siblings, and other relatives. These “singles” can also include those who are divorced or widowed, contributing to the rise of single households.
This evidence of the changing times is where the solo economy trends lie, and Peter McGraw recently highlighted the current limitations in management when it comes to the benefits gap for singles in the workplace. In a report with The Conversation, he highlighted that today, 46% of US adults are unmarried, and half of them aren’t too keen on dating to change this fact either. Furthermore, about 29% of US adults live alone, and those who do get married do so much later in life. These numbers regularly go unacknowledged when rewriting workplace policies, many of which favor parents.
Do Singles Really Face a Gap in Workplace Benefits?
As unlikely as it seems on the surface, these estimations appear to hit the nail on the head. Often, there are different expectations for employees who are single compared to those who have a family. Just as in the general society, those who are family-oriented are often held as the standard, as being a family man or woman is seen as the ultimate goal for any individual. Single workers are often targeted with assumptions about their values, and single women in the workplace receive particularly harsh criticism, judged as being selfish or hedonistic. Negative attitudes aside, workplace policies favor parents.
Many organizations have no choice but to cater to working parents and provide workplace support according to state and federal laws. In order to meet these requirements, employers often tailor benefits towards these parents, putting all of their investments into ensuring they avoid any legal trouble. As a result, not too many benefits are planned for the families of one in the workplace. From pay disparity to different standards for who can take leave or clock out of work on time, there is a difference in how single employees benefit from workplace policies.
The lack of unity and community in the modern workplace is also gaining some attention today, but many don’t realize the real-world impact this has on employees. Those with families might have the comfort of their families to go home to or people to spend their holidays with, but workers who are single aren’t always considered in this regard. Some might say that this is a choice that single workers made and should live with, but not every worker chooses to remain a participant of the solo economy out of a desire for isolation.
Beyond Family Friendly Policies: How Can You Plan Benefits for Singles in the Workplace?
Workplace policies may favor parents, but the need of the hour here isn’t to reduce these policies. Working parents need this additional layer of support to keep their performance up, and catering to their preferences is a worthy cause. At the same time, it is important to evaluate management policies and assess if single workers are being ignored at work. There are a few different examples of what this can look like:
- Encourage single workers to use their PTO days rather than treat their vacation days as different from those with families
- Reach out to employees around major holidays to check in on their well-being
- Ensure equal pay is offered to them without any differentiation on aspects like marital status
- Ensure that there are benefits other than parental leave or childcare support offered at the organization
- Guarantee a work-life balance for single workers and ensure they aren’t expected to cater to work outside of their working hours
- Encourage employees to build a community within the workplace by facilitating the creation of employee resource groups, hobby clubs, and other occasions for employees to gather
- Ask employees about their availability rather than assuming single workers will be able to accommodate changes freely on demand
The rise of single-person households is a very real phenomenon, and globally at that. China celebrates Singles’ Day on November 11 every year, and this 11/11 event has now turned into an occasion for businesses to garner billions of dollars in sales. This attention to the plights and passions of the single folk deserves just as much attention within the workplace.
Have thoughts to share regarding your own experience with the solo economy? Share them in the comments with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
