With the ascendancy of remote work, parents have closer proximity and greater access to pry into their adult children’s work lives. While the trend of "helicopter parenting" is nothing new, it is gaining traction, according to the Wall Street Journal. It runs the gamut from acting like Cyrano de Bergerac, whispering what to say in a Zoom interview, arguing with a manager because of the treatment of their adult child in the workplace, to weighing in on job offers and salary negotiations for their professional offspring.

Parents want to help their kids succeed, especially in a hypercompetitive economy and job market. It was harder for them to interfere in a pre-pandemic environment when mostly everyone worked in an office setting. With the institution of hybrid and remote work for both young adults and parents, it’s much easier for them to meddle in their affairs. Young adults might be more likely to allow their parents to interfere in work matters if their interpersonal and communication skills atrophied during the pandemic, while they were isolated and sheltered at home, or never existed.

Like a mentor, parents want to serve as sounding boards for their children on big-picture matters, since they are experienced professionals. Parents can share the lessons they’ve learned in the workplace and what to look out for when navigating their careers.

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