Satchels and Spreadsheets:  Understanding the needs of Working Parents

60% of professional women leave their organization within a year of returning to the workplace after maternity leave. The most common reason is that they feel unsupported by their Employer.

Every year 54,000 new mums feel that they have no choice but to leave their job costing employers £1.65 billion per year in replacement costs (The Equality and Human Rights Commission).

Almost half the nation’s working mums don’t feel their emotional or physical needs are being catered for by their employers, a study revealed (The Mummy MOT).

The worrying statistic emerged from a report which also found one in three fear they would not have the total support of their bosses if they planned to extend their family.

Furthermore, 52% said their employer had not been ‘considerate’ during discussions over the possibility of working fewer hours to more effectively balance work and family life.

• Parent guilt and The Pressure of Perfect Parenting and being a perfect Employee
• Looking at the culture in your own organisation: Are you really family friendly?
  How well does the organization support returning parents?
  How good is communication?
  How does the organization react to news of an employee due to become a parent?
  Do working parents get the same opportunities as non parents?
• Understand the role and impact you have on returning staff from parental leave (with 38% saying that they found their boss being unsupportive when returning post parental leave in a recent study).
• Support needed in Pre – Mid  and Post parental leave and the importance of staying in touch (KIT days). What does your employee need from you?
• What are the main reasons that new parents return to work post parental leave?
• What are parents’ biggest concerns with the return to work?
• Early Parenthood: The Ultimate Knock to Confidence? Tips to improve confidence
• Parents’ experiences with the return to work: What worked?. What didn’t?
• Likely behaviors of parents returning to work post parental leave and signs to watch out for such as signs of PostNatal Depression)
• What are the most common challenges faced by working parents – what issues are parents facing?
• How to address those challenges
• Managing Sick Days and Snow Days
• Parental Burnout: Spotting the signs and how to reduce the risk of burnout
• Flexible working – Adjustments and tweaks that can make all the difference
• A Phased Return
• Develop practical tools to support working parents
• Offer support – Set up a new Parents Group, provide training for returning parents on how to juggle both parenting and work and a wealth of  helpful webinars on parenting and gaining confidence in the workplace.
• How to ensure parents feel valued which in turn will increase loyalty and retention