In this guest post, Leah Rando-Poller of Kids in the Middle shares insights into how family separation affects working parents and children, why small moments of connection matter, and how supportive workplaces can make a meaningful difference for families navigating change.
When Family Life Changes: Supporting Children - and Employees - Through Separation
Family separation is one of those life events that doesn’t clock off at 5pm. It follows people into the workplace, into meetings, and into the mental load they carry each day. For business owners and HR managers, it’s something we often see quietly unfolding— capable, committed employees navigating major family change while still trying to perform at work.
When children are involved, separation brings an extra layer that can easily be overlooked. While adults are busy managing legal processes, finances, rosters, and new routines, children are quietly adjusting too. Their world has shifted, even if they don’t yet have the words to explain how they feel.
Children rarely announce that they’re struggling. Instead, it shows up in everyday ways — tiredness, worry, emotional ups and downs, or changes in behaviour. These aren’t signs of children “not coping”; they’re normal responses to change. What children need most during this time is reassurance, consistency, and the sense that the important adults around them are paying attention to what really matters.
For parents who are also employees or business owners, this can feel like a constant balancing act. Work doesn’t pause when family life gets complicated. There are deadlines, teams, clients, and responsibilities that keep moving. Many parents push through, often putting their own needs — and sometimes their children’s — last.
What makes the biggest difference, though, isn’t perfection. It’s presence. Children benefit far more from small, meaningful moments of connection than from long stretches of distracted time. A conversation in the car, a shared meal, or a walk after work can quietly reassure a child that they still matter, even when life feels unsettled.
Why the Holiday and Summer Period Matters
The holiday and summer period often brings a welcome change of pace. School routines ease, calendars open up, and there’s more room to breathe. For families navigating separation, this slower period can be a valuable opportunity to reset and reconnect.
Without the usual rush, children often feel more relaxed and more open. Conversations tend to happen naturally — while travelling, walking, swimming, or spending unstructured time together. These moments aren’t about fixing problems; they’re about listening. What children share during this time can gently guide decisions around routines, holidays, handovers, and how family life will look moving forward.
How Workplaces Can Make a Difference
This is where supportive workplace culture really matters. For HR managers and business leaders, flexibility, understanding, and open communication can make an enormous difference to employees navigating family change. Small adjustments — flexible hours, temporary workload changes, or access to support services — don’t just support the employee; they support their children too.
When employees feel supported during difficult personal transitions, they are more likely to remain engaged, loyal, and productive. Creating a workplace culture where family change is met with compassion rather than silence benefits everyone.
Why Kids In The Middle Is Different
What makes Kids In TheMiddle unique is its clear focus on the child’s experience — without placing children in the middle of adult conflict or decision-making. Children are offered a safe, neutral space to share what matters to them in age-appropriate ways, while parents and professionals gain insight that supports better decision-making.
This approach helps families reduce conflict, move forward with greater clarity, and supports parents to remain more present — both at home and at work. For employers, that often means employees who feel less overwhelmed and better supported during challenging life transitions.
Looking Ahead
Family separation is never easy, but it doesn’t have to define a child’s future — or an employee’s working life. When children feel heard, parents feel supported, and workplaces recognise the human side of life, separation can become a period of adjustment rather than ongoing stress.
Putting children first isn’t just a family issue. It’s a community one — and businesses play an important role in supporting the people who make them work.
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