Amy Colbert, a management researcher at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, says most people naturally tend to become more risk-averse when they become parents out of concern for their family’s well-being.  

This more conservative approach is true at work, too. People who are motivated by their family often become more productive but less creative, for fear of taking too much of a risk and losing their job.  

Unfortunately, this “creativity tax” can hold them back in their careers.  

Colbert and her research team talked with blue- and white-collar workers about their work motivations after they had children. Those who reported that they saw their work primarily as a means to support their family were less likely to take risks that could upset management. 

But those whose primary motivation for work went beyond their families reported a higher tolerance for risk and focused more on long-term returns that they thought might push their careers forward.  

Colbert said managers who want to foster a creative and energetic workplace can encourage workers with children to continue thinking in different ways, ask for their ideas, and provide positive feedback and recognition even when their creative efforts fail. She said managers should demonstrate that creativity will not be used against them in their performance reviews.