Recently The Times reported that tech giants such as Apple and Facebook are providing some of their female workers with the option to freeze their eggs so they can concentrate more on than careers in their twenties and thirties. At £5k a pop in the UK, it’s likely to be out of the price range of most SMEs, not to mention the equality issues it might raise (do you offer the partners of would-be dad’s the same benefit?…) Also, unfortunately, fertility treatments such as egg freezing are not fail safe back-up options – and a certain amount of luck is involved if pregnancy were to occur.
Which all got us thinking about how startups and SMEs can better support all employees with having kids – whatever their age:
1. Change Perspective
If you see your working relationships with staff as long-term partnerships then for some, during their tenure, it’s inevitable that having a family will be a step they would like to take. You’ll hear many new parents talk about how their priorities change when having a baby – and this can actually work in favour of employers, in particular nimble SMEs. Properly supporting working parents could confer loyalty and retention levels that dreams are made of. Yes, in the light of having kids their ways of working and/or job description may change but retaining good loyal staff is more efficient, more cost effective and ultimately makes more business sense than recruiting full-time replacements. It also gives you the opportunity to try out new blood (internal or external) during parental leave.
2. Communicate & Implement Statutory Entitlements
Since the introduction of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) in 2015, working parents have the option to ‘pool’ their maternity/paternity leave so either or both parents can take the time off work to look after the new arrival. Eligible parents are entitled to 52 weeks parental leave between them and can decide themselves how to divide this up. They can chose to take SPL at the same time, all at once and/or in up to 3 chunks each.
And don’t forget that anyone taking SPL can work up to 20 days during SPL without bringing it to an end. These are called ‘shared parental leave in touch’ (or SPLIT) days. These days are in addition to the 10 ‘keeping in touch’ (or KIT) days already available to those on maternity or adoption leave. Take-up of shared parental leave since its inception has been low – so there’s an opportunity perhaps for SMEs to embrace it and differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Another, statutory right for parents that is rarely taken is Parental Leave. So much so that many employees have no idea this right actually exists! At the moment, parents are actually entitled to 18 weeks of unpaid leave to care for children under 18, which means they shouldn’t need to worry about taking holiday if their kids are sick. And it doesn’t always have to be Mum….
Explore Suitable Flexible Working Arrangements
As of 30th June 2014, every employee has the right to request flexible working arrangements. (Note the language here, the right to request, not the right to have). Even if an employee does not intend to take maternity or shared parental leave, a forthcoming new arrival presents a great opportunity to discuss flexible working solutions that work for both parties. And it doesn’t have to mean working from home. Early or later start or finish times can be just what parents need to help juggle child care responsibilities.
Policies Are Great But Cultural Norms Start From The Top
Show your team that you value their lives outside of work (as well as your own) by consistently trying to leave work at a reasonable hour. And watch out for cultural norms in your business that disadvantage those with kids. For example, make at least some of the staff jollies family related and try not to have work conversations in the pub in the evening when mums and dads are already at home doing bedtime.
A Note Of Caution
Good family-friendly workplaces could well lead us closer to the ‘employer for life’ phenomenon of old. For many SMEs, it could be just what’s needed to recruit and retain top talent. But be careful about alienating those without kids – particularly in businesses where young blood is key to staying ahead of the curve. There’s the potential danger that those without kids feel less valued than those with little ones to look after. So show them that their passions/interests outside the office are supported too – for example by giving everyone a little more flexibility in their working arrangements.
If you are looking for more guidance on this or any other HR issue, give us a call on 0203 627 7048 or drop us a line at hello@thehrhub.co.uk
