Why Now Is The Time To Bring Your Parents Into The Office

LinkedIn Bring In Your Parents Day celebrates employees and the parents who helped them get to where they are today. When we first launched Bring In Your Parents Day in 2013, the intention was to help bridge the gap between parents and their children so that parents could impart wisdom to help their children’s career. But something happened that we didn’t expect; it became a day filled with emotion and gratitude. Yes, it’s funny that our parents often have no clue what we do, and I still chuckle about my mother’s confusion around why our CEO doesn’t wear a suit. But when I met my team’s parents, looked them in the eye and thanked them for raising such amazing people and colleagues, the day took on a very different meaning. Whether they were learning about our company or meeting their child’s boss, pride was evident on every parent’s face and it was contagious.

It’s no surprise that more than three quarters of parents say they are “very proud” of their children, according to our recent global survey. Parents point to their children graduating as the proudest life moment for most (44 percent), followed by their child’s first job (42 percent) and first steps (37 percent). What came as a bit of a surprise was that verbal praise lessens as we get older. We found that 45 percent of parents couldn’t remember the last time they told their children they were proud of them.

Is this because we don’t tell our parents enough about what we do for a living? While 17 percent considered their children to be too old for praise, a further 10 percent attributed the lack of praise to a lack of understanding of their child’s job and what they do day-to-day.

To celebrate this year’s Bring In Your Parents Day, we asked a variety of parents and children just what pride means to them.

It’s not too late to get involved this year and show your parents just how far you’ve come and, more importantly, why they should be proud of you. LinkedIn Bring In Your Parents Day will be happening again on Friday, November 4 2016. Visit www.biyp.linkedin.com for more information.