Paid parental leave is essential for children, important for families, and good for business. Parental support from the organisations they work for is something that prospective parents want, because they know intuitively that spending more time with each other and with their newborn is going to be the best thing for their family. For all concerned, flexible paid extended and shared parental leave is a no-brainer. Here’s why...

Benefits For The Company

From a business perspective, it’s logical that improving the happiness and mental health of your staff increases productivity and helps you to retain your best talent. In many organisations, family leave worth the investmnt as they see an increase in engagement, productivity and talent retention. hen Google extended its paid maternity leave from 12 to 18 weeks, it saw a 50% increase in employee retention among women who had babies.

In contrast, insensitivity and lack of “civil organisational behaviour” -...

June is a month which holds much focus for fathers. Several countries celebrate Father’s Day and it is also the month for International Men’s Health Week (June 11-17), celebrated annually to promote and honour the importance of the health and wellness of boys and men.

It seems an ideal month therefore, to take a step back to look at the evolving role of fathers and highlight again what is required to close the gap, to meet their needs in the workplace. So, what has driven the evolution of the role of a father?

There are many views. Some say that millennial men & generations following are different because they grew up with different expectations and role models, often where both parents worked. Others put it down to the reforms to support for working mothers which have accelerated from the 1970s onwards, as a result of many campaigns lobbying for change in the workplace. Others say fathers who now have daughters in the workplace witness their world and it’s...

We recently celebrated Mother’s Day here in Geneva, Switzerland. Grateful children and dads took mums out to lunch, bought them flowers, ran them baths, and made them cards to show her how special she is to them and what a great job she does in the home.

But what about the job she does at work? Does she ever receive recognition for her contributions and support for her needs? Does she spend her working hours feeling guilty - for having to leave early and pick up her kids or for leaving them in the first place - when she should be feeling like a supermum for all the things she is able to juggle on a daily basis?

Mothers are a valuable asset to any organisation (note: Fathers are too but we’re focusing on mothers here). After returning to work, most mums have evolved into super efficient multitasking champions. In the transition to motherhood, they have had to learn to be super organised, plan to make plans, make preparations the night before, and always have a backup....

If you are one of those lucky people who never needed shopping lists or deadline alerts before you had a baby, lucky you! The chances are that post-baby, however, things are very different.

I think the majority of adults struggle with juggling personal and work related tasks after becoming a parent - the mental and logistical load is much heavier than ever before and with the likelihood of sleep deprivation you’re memory doesn’t seem quite as sharp as it used to. You think to yourself "I'll easily remember that" and then your tiny little person flashes you a beautiful smile and you forget everything else.  

With that in mind, you can relax somewhat in the knowledge that there is an abundance of handy, practical tools to help you out. Some of these tools you can use for both personal and work tasks, allowing you to more easily manage those two parts of your life together at once. I am strong proponent for work-life integration because in order to thrive in both...

Whatever your reason for being a single parent, raising children alone comes with its challenges as well as its rewards. Add to that the responsibility of being a working parent, and things can get even more difficult.

Between work, meals, emails, bath time and bed, it’s easy to lose yourself as you move from one thing to the next. But it really is possible to meet your many responsibilities and achieve a life of enjoyment and fulfilment for you and your children as a single working parent.

Firstly, you’ll need to let go of any guilt you may be harbouring. As parents, we all worry about the start in life we are giving our children. There’s plenty of proof that single working parents can raise raise happy, well-balanced and confident children. When it comes to parents, it’s about quality over quantity!

Keep these tips in minds to  help you stay focused on your happiness, health, and the special life you and your child share...

ASK FOR HELP

Don't be afraid...

Last year, I was delivering one of our most popular workshops for one of our Swiss corporate clients, and I took the time to review the workshop evaluation feedback on my train journey home.  One attendee shared that she would have liked to have spent time looking at: How to advance your career whilst working part time. It’s a topic we often cover in our workshops but it didn't come up for this particular group of women - at least until they filled out the feedback forms at the end.

For some reason, her question has stayed with me since and I felt inspired to write a blog post about it.

As I started to apply our own experience as well as the wide amount of research that exists on  on this topic, I quickly realised that you can’t answer it from an employee only perspective - ie. How do I advance?

I also felt the need to answer it from an employer and governance perspective. To not only help the individual understand the broader aspects at play but also help...

Nothing can prepare you for the realities of parenthood. In the early days, it’s crucial that you look after yourself and lean on those closest to you for support.

You have probably spent the last 40 weeks preparing for the birth, acquiring all the baby paraphernalia, and organising your maternity and paternity leave. Most people are not prepared for what has been termed “The Fourth Trimester” and even if you know what’s coming, it can still be a shock.

Your baby will not want to be put down. He or she will be waking regularly during the night and feeding constantly around the clock. Everyday tasks will become almost impossible. You will be worrying about whether your baby is putting on enough weight, or getting enough skin-to-skin, and even checking they are still breathing at regular intervals! On top of all that, friends and family will be wanting to come and meet your new bundle of joy.

Particularly for new mothers, it may be difficult to accept help at...

Hopefully, as you read this, you are experiencing a healthy and happy pregnancy, having had the necessary conversations at work and organised yourself so that you are both energised and engaged professionally and personally.

Now fast forward to the time when you will be with your new baby, during your parental leave. This is a unique and special time which we want you to thrive in and not be worrying about “what’s next”. So, to help you maximise this period, it is worth planning ahead now. Let me share my own personal experience to demonstrate the importance of this.

I was working as a Project Manager at IBM, managing a remote team, when I fell pregnant with my first child, Olivia. It was a period when I worked on client sites, often away from home Monday to Thursday, working long hours and at times, under a lot of pressure! My team also worked on client sites, on similar change projects and I needed to be available to support them.

I realised that I would need to...

Once you’ve decided when to share the news about your pregnancy with your boss, there are steps you can take to ensure it is well received.

Now is the time to start reflecting on how long a maternity break you would like to take and your initial ideas on the handover of your role.

Before you sit down with your manager, here are some things to consider that may help you have a more productive discussion...

Research your company’s leave policies

Learn everything you can about your employer’s maternity leave policies. Some offer paid leave, some offer unpaid leave, and others allow sick days or vacation days to be put towards family leave. Read your employee handbook and consider setting up a confidential meeting with someone in HR.

Know your employment rights

Familiarise yourself with your local employment laws so you know what you’re entitled to. Most countries have public websites hosting this information and a simple Google search will offer a wealth of...

One of the things professional women struggle with when they learn they are pregnant, is figuring out the best time and way to share the news with their boss and managing communications from then on.

If you only follow one piece of advice, please don’t fall into the trap of telling anyone else at work before your boss!

News travels fast and you need to remain in control.

Sharing the good news can be nerve wracking. With no-one at work to lean on for advice and support, it’s common to feel a tsunami of emotion and fear about how to approach the conversion.

Some typical fears and doubts include:

“Will I be treated differently?” “Will I be passed over for leadership opportunities or long term projects?”

Don’t Be Afraid To Tell Your Manager

The good news is that most managers are very supportive and will be thrilled for you. It may also help you relax to know that you don’t need to have everything (or anything) figured out before...