dunnhumby Parental Leave Buddies

At dunnhumby we know that going on maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave is a big change that can be daunting and scary – whether it’s for the first time or not! A new baby can lead to significant changes in your home and work life. We recognise that, as an expectant parent, you’re probably experiencing a wide range of emotions as a result of these big changes and our dunnhumby Parental Leave Buddies are there to help.

Our buddies are colleagues with personal experience of taking and returning from parental leave. They are volunteers drawn from across our functions, regions and career stages. We have both male and female buddies and anyone is welcome to participate in the scheme if they feel they can offer support, or would benefit from being supported themselves.

Specifically, a buddy is available to listen and provide advice on topics including:

• Embarking on maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave
• Managing the transition back to work
• Considering a flexible working arrangement
• Juggling crazy schedules of drop offs, pick-ups and parents evenings etc.
• Surviving sleepless nights - we’ve been there, done that, got the bags under our eyes to show for it!

As one of our buddies put it: “The transition to parenthood is huge and is largely about learning ‘on the job’!  Sharing thoughts and ideas about how the transition will work with someone who has been through it makes for a smoother experience and may provide a different perspective on the options available.”

Our parental leave buddy scheme is sponsored by the dh Parent’s & Carer’s Network and is part of our commitment to enable people to balance a successful career with their personal commitments outside work.