Bring in Your Parents Day: Helping Parents Understand What You Do

Ask anyone that works at LinkedIn what they enjoy most about the company. You’ll hear a range of answers, from our company vision to InDays, which gives you a sense of what makes LinkedIn unique. For me, the answer is our annual Bring in Your Parents (BIYP) day.

Five years ago we created BIYP as a way for our employees to give their parents a glimpse into their professional lives as research suggested that one in three parents don’t actually know what their child does for a living. That first year we welcomed 1,400 parents. Since the start of the program, we’ve hosted more than 10,000 employees and parents for BIYP. This year we expect more than 4,000 parents to join us in 30 offices around the world to participate in activities organized by more than 250 employee volunteers.

An opportunity to say thanks

On BIYP parents get a chance to see how their kids spend their workdays – giving some context to conversations that typically happen over family dinners or get-togethers. For our employees, it’s a way to say thank you to the people that have supported them in countless ways through their personal and professional lives.

This year BIYP falls on an InDay. This is the one day a month that we give back to our employees to invest in themselves, the company and the world. It’s a perfect day for our employees to share the projects they are most passionate about with some of the most important people in their lives. By giving our employees the chance to invest in themselves on a monthly basis, and introducing their family to their colleagues once a year, we create an opportunity learn a bit more about our co-workers and build a deeper feeling of belonging.

BIYP is catching on

BIYP isn’t just a LinkedIn program. It continues to grow each year and many companies around the globe have adopted it. So, if you’re lucky enough to be bringing your parents to work, be sure to share a short video or post of you and your loved ones on LinkedIn. Don’t worry, even if your parents aren’t able to participate this year, you can still share a video or post of your work and what you wish your parents knew about it. And don’t forget to join the conversation on social media using #BIYP!