New Best Practice for Parental Leave Returners
This session looked at how employers can support parental leave returners before, during and after leave, and what happens when an employer gets it wrong. Host James Marsh of HRreview was joined by Iole Matthews of Bright Horizons, Laura Moynahan of Societe Generale and Alice Thompson, who won an employment tribunal claim after a flexible working request was refused.
Iole Matthews, Bright Horizons; Laura Moynahan, Societe Generale; Alice Thompson. Hosted by James Marsh, HRreview.
Key takeaways
Benchmark your parental leave offer against your own sector
Bright Horizons' 2021 Parental Leave Benchmark of over 700 UK employers found enhanced maternity pay had grown from 57% of employers in 2017 to 79%. Matthews said 26 weeks at full pay was the most common enhancement in sectors competing hardest for talent, so compare like with like.
Support people at every stage of leave, not just with pay
Moynahan described a Societe Generale programme offering one-to-one or group coaching before, during and after leave, getting managers and employees talking about worries, goals for the return and how much contact the employee wants while away.
Make supporting returners part of how managers are measured
Matthews suggested making consistent support through the parent transition one of every manager's performance indicators. Behaviour changes fastest when a senior leader champions it; at the simplest level, give managers a meeting checklist and an agenda.
Help managers lose the fear of difficult conversations
Moynahan said fear of legal trouble often stops managers talking to people going on leave. HR's job is to teach managers what they can and cannot say so they have those conversations with confidence.
Consider flexible working requests properly, or try them out first
Thompson's requests to finish at five, then for a four-day week, then for a staggered return were all refused without consideration. A tribunal later awarded nearly £185,000 for indirect sex discrimination. Matthews advised employers who are unsure to agree a trial, then review it.
Build the case on retention and measure the results
Matthews urged HR teams to link programmes to retention and engagement metrics, and to track whether returners feel confident, have clear plans and feel valued. Thompson pointed out that losing an experienced returner means paying to recruit and train a replacement.
Alice Thompson's first-hand account of how each reasonable compromise was turned down, and the Q&A on managing parental leave across countries.
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