Welcome everyone to today’s Facebook and LinkedIn live session! We have a special guest, Jo Lawrence, a Parental Leave Transition Coach and Expert. Jo will share with us the six ways companies can prevent talent leaks following parental leave. Jo has extensive experience working with companies of all sizes to help employees transition back to work after taking parental leave.
During today’s session, Jo will share her insights and expertise on this critical issue. She’ll provide practical tips and strategies for companies to support employees returning from parental leave and prevent the loss of valuable talent. This topic is timely and important, especially in light of recent discussions about the high cost of childcare, which is driving many talented professionals out of the workforce. We’re excited to have Jo with us today and are confident you’ll find her insights valuable and informative.
Tune in and join us for what promises to be an insightful discussion.
Key Highlights
[00:00:00] Introduction to today’s speaker and topic: Jo talking about six ways companies can prevent talent leaks within their organisation following parental leave
[00:02:11] An overview of what Work-Life-Parent does
[00:05:56] Why do people want to leave organisations after becoming parents?
[00:12:08] Six ways companies can help in the transition after parental leave
[00:12:20] #1: Parental leave career transitions support
[00:18:09] How to ask for flexible working
[00:19:37] Why companies aren’t making it easy for employees to ask for flexible working
[00:21:04] #2: promoting child-friendly, flexible working options
[00:23:51] Parental groups in both small and large organisations
[00:27:01] #3: Supporting employees to transition out of the workplace and leave smoothly
[00:30:54] #4: Encouraging parents to keep in touch during leave
[00:34:24] #5: Providing a reintroduction and reintegration period
[00:36:08] #6: Meaningful return-to-work check-in with line manager and employee
[00:39:53] What would be the one thing you would love to see more employers do?
[00:41:01] How Jo supports companies that want to support their working parents and prevent potential talent leaks
[00:42:49] How to connect with Jo
Notable Quotes
- Coaching is about building resilience. I help parents create a resilient return to work so they don’t give up at the first hurdle or make drastic changes to their job.
- If you don’t ask for flexible work, you won’t get it. We need more role models to show that it’s possible, because if people don’t see it being done, they won’t ask for it.
- Employers should treat new employees returning from parental leave as opportunities for professional development. This can help promote career progression and the employee’s overall well-being.
- Returning from parental leave can be overwhelming, and employers must ensure a psychologically safe environment. Employees can feel supported and be 100% present and productive by providing a reintroduction and reintegration period.
- A meaningful return-to-work check-in with a line manager is about creating empathy and caring allies. This helps raise awareness among employees who don’t yet have dependents, so they understand what it’s like for a parent returning from leave. It’s about creating a culture that’s empathetic and human-centred.
- Parental leave supports are often considered a nice-to-have rather than a necessity. But have we proven that? Conducting a needs analysis to identify any gaps in provision is essential. If there are gaps, then we need to address them.
Resources:
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