Allyship and Support
A partnership to raise awareness of the challenges faced by returning mums and offer 1:1 support to women going through the maternity transition
Regulatory Authority Partnership
This organisation wanted to create awareness among all its employees of the impact of having children on women going through the maternity transition. After hosting a Lunch & Learn event to get the conversation started, they introduced maternity coaching to support women in making a successful and less stressful return to work
“It was my great pleasure to be able to work with Emma on a Lunch & Learn on Maternity Returners for the organisation. Emma’s profound expertise and personable nature made the design of this session a delight to put together and her support and steerage was fundamental to its success.
The effects of maternity will impact us all in a work setting and Emma was inclusive in her approach, ensuring thatI, as a man without any children, felt like an active ally.”
EDI Manager, Regulatory Authority
1
The Programme
We partnered with the organisation to host a Lunch & Learn on the impact of maternity on careers, creating awareness and a sense of allyship among employees. We then introduced a maternity coaching programme where women receive six 1:1 sessions to support them during the matermity transition.
2
Objectives
The organisation wanted to create a more inclusive environment for women returners, where colleagues had more empathy and understanding, and where women felt supported, understood and valued, as they go through this significant life change.
The organisation's aim was to enable women to successfully return and keep their careers on track, strengthening the female talent pipeline.
A longer-term objective is to keep more returners in the organisation past the mid-career point and improve gender diversity at senior levels.
3
Results
The feedback from the Lunch & Learn was very positive. It was well-attended and succeeded in igniting the conversation around the impact of careers on maternity in the organisation. The feedback from participants was very positive, with women in particular saying how good it was that the organisation understood the importance of talking about the professional impact of maternity on women.
Following the discussion and the themes raised, the organisation decided to invest in maternity coaching and the pilot programme is now underway with participants from a variety of teams.
4
What the Client Says
The EDI Manager says, 'It was my great pleasure to be able to work with Emma on a Lunch & Learn on Maternity Returners for the organisation. Emma’s profound expertise and personable nature made the design of this session a delight to put together and her support and steerage was fundamental to its success. The effects of maternity will impact us all in a work setting and Emma was inclusive in her approach, ensuring that I, as a man without any children, felt like an active ally. Emma’s warmth was noted by the 40+ attendants of the Lunch & Learn, who were keen to engage all the way through. I am firm in my belief that Emma’s intervention has begun a new, shared organisational understanding of maternity, and how the experience of it equips our business with important skills and inclusive culture that leads to enhanced performance. The [organisation] has long desired a workplace culture of inclusion and belonging and our relationship with Emma has ensured that this aspiration is being realised."
