SAP hosted its first Bring In Your Parents Day on November 6, inviting employees to spend a day with their parents at the office. It was a day for parents to explore the office, meet colleagues, get to know the company, and understand their child’s job better.
Organized at the SAP offices in the Bay Area, this was the first time for many of the parents to visit their child at the office. A parent from India shared smiling that she had not seen her daughter in a work environment since parents’ day at school, and that she was very proud to learn about her daughter’s job.
One in three parents are unfamiliar with what their child does for a living. This finding led LinkedIn to initiate Bring In Your Parents Day in 2013. The day was celebrated at more than 50 companies this year, proving a success across countries and cultures. At SAP, we realize that enabling parents to understand their children’s work contributes to a more supportive environment for employees.
Roy Hyrkin, a father in his eighties, was pleased to visit a technology company as both his children work in the industry. His advice to his children is “not to lose track of human relationships when developing technology”. Parents toured the SAP offices and had a lively discussion with executives about technology in everyday lives. They raised questions about technology to improve healthcare and make living simpler for older people.
The employees enjoyed the day as much as their parents. Padmini Ranganathan, who works on network solutions at SAP [in the top most photo], reminisced accompanying her father as a child on factory audits where she was introduced to engineering and technology. This day was a chance for her to share with him a newer world of technology taking shape at her workplace.
Bringing in the parents made for a fun and refreshing time for everyone, and we look forward to more such days at SAP.
