Helicopter parents hovering in the workplace: What should HR managers do?

Applying life course theory, this article provides an overview of what is known about helicopter parenting behavior in the workplace and why it exists. Herein, we discuss the pervasiveness of this issue and present a typology of the different levels of intensity or obtrusiveness of parental involvement (‘reconnaissance,’ ‘low altitude,’ and ‘guerilla warfare’) in the workplace, as well as ways in which the adult child may respond to such behaviors. We conclude with a discussion of how employers are responding to this issue with proposed strategies for how to best manage such situations.