As a Company, we are passionate that everyone, no matter what their circumstances, should feel included and valued. In addition, we know that for pregnant colleagues, new parents, and those returning from parental leave, the big changes can sometimes feel overwhelming.
That’s why we’ve created our ‘Preparing for parenthood and beyond’ group, to help colleagues in a similar position connect with each other and learn more about this new life stage.
We let colleagues know that we understand that for pregnant employees, new parents, and those returning from parental leave, the big changes can sometimes feel overwhelming.
In fact, research from Tena found that 1/3 of working mothers found it ‘harder than expected’ to return after maternity leave. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Parent and Professional found that while “it’s very common and normal for parents to struggle with the return period, it’s more common in the organisations who haven’t supported them with coaching, mentoring or manager development.” And that’s where our sessions come in.
Getting support from others in a similar boat, as well as professionals in the parenting field, is really beneficial. Of course, it goes without saying that groups like these make colleagues feel valued, and connected. Our quarterly sessions are open to all colleagues (although held at head office) have been running for over a year now, each with a different theme from messy play through to baby sensory and yoga.