Workplace Support for New Mothers: A Look at Post-Maternity Leave Policies
Supporting New Parents: A Win-Win Strategy for Companies
A new approach to supporting new parents in the workplace is gaining traction, with companies like Danone and Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata leading the charge. This approach, centred around the two pillars of listening and valuing care, is transforming the way businesses view parenthood.
The benefits of this approach are manifold. Companies that invest in motherhood, viewing it as a gym of skills and offering coaching programs, reap rewards such as enhanced employee productivity, retention, and workplace satisfaction. This shift also fosters a family-friendly culture that improves recruitment, employee well-being, and business competitiveness.
According to the Annual Report on the Validation of Dismissals of Mother Workers and Father Workers (2022) by the National Labour Inspectorate, a staggering 72.8% of total dismissals in 2022 were women, accounting for 44,699 working mothers. By adopting a welfare model that emphasizes listening and valuing care, businesses can help reduce the number of women leaving their jobs in the first year of their child's life.
The strategy of focusing on the supplier chain, as seen in Danone's approach, suggests a broader industry trend. By prioritizing the well-being of new parents, companies can expect to see improvements in workforce stability, with reduced resignations and absenteeism.
Coaching courses for new parents, a key component of this approach, foster comparison and exchange of experiences among mothers. These courses, conducted by organisations like Focus Consulting in collaboration with companies, involve managers and top management to activate virtuous listening processes.
Giovanna D'Elia, coach and HR director of Focus Consulting, explains that these courses are designed to frame motherhood as skill-building in leadership, time management, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving, translating parenting skills to professional competencies.
Riccarda Zezza, CEO and founder of Lifeed, comments that this change in approach can reveal untapped talents in the company. By viewing motherhood as a means to train skills such as leadership, change management, and empathy, companies can harness the valuable skills gained through parenthood, particularly motherhood, driving competitive advantage and a healthier workforce.
The cultural change underway is aimed to be widespread, not just a few good practices. By integrating strategies such as offering targeted coaching programs, providing generous parental leave, developing flexible work schedules, and implementing family-building and childcare benefits, companies can support new parents while also reaping the numerous benefits this approach offers.
- Other companies could follow Danone and Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata's lead by adopting a new approach that values care and listens to new parents, fostering a health-and-wellness culture in the workplace and workplace-wellness overall.
- This transformation could lead to a reduction in women leaving their jobs in the first year of their child's life, as seen in the staggering statistics from the Annual Report on the Validation of Dismissals of Mother Workers and Father Workers (2022).
- By offering coaching programs and fostering the exchange of experiences among parents, companies can help employees develop skills such as leadership, time management, and problem-solving, translating those skills from parenting to careers.
- This strategy could also reveal untapped talents within the company, as Riccarda Zezza, CEO and founder of Lifeed, suggests, driving competitive advantage and a healthier workforce.
- Companies that champion this approach could expect to see improvements in workforce stability, with reduced resignations and absenteeism, and increased employee productivity, retention, and satisfaction, ultimately benefitting their finance and business careers.
