Workplaces need to lose their egos

I was recently chatting with one of my inspiring clients about the process of managing maternity leave transitions effectively, and she gave me some great insight into the impact that an organisation's ego can have on the process. She said 'it's like workplaces are shocked to realise that work is not the centre of universe for their staff'. 

It is true that sometimes the response that women get from managers, co-workers and leaders within workplaces seems to be incredibly ego-centric, even if not completely consciously. And the fall-out of this is that women can feel like they are no longer connected with, or a part of the workplace, even before their maternity leave commences.   

The irony of it is that organisations and Managers who are conscious of this phenomena and actually take the step to let go of their ego's; that is they admit that 'we realise that work is simply one part of your life and there are other important aspects that we also want to support', they are more likely to get long-term loyalty and engagement from staff. 

Ultimately this is where the true return on investment for navigating maternity transitions successfully lies. 

Notice the ego-lense you might be wearing, shake it off and realise the importance of respecting and embracing all aspects of your employee's lives.  

warm wishes, 

Alison 

If I should have a daughter

One of my favourite Ted Talks is this one from Sarah Kay. Her spoken word poetry is honest, authentic and engaging. 

Not only does this speak to the 'heart of a  mother', this talk also connects us with the incredible responsibility we have in supporting the unique talents of those around us. Managers and workplaces that engage the talents of those who work with them reap the benefits often in ways they never expect. 

I hope that you enjoy this talk as much as I do! 

Moving Beyond Compliance

Regardless of policies, the critical link to the success of any parental leave initiative is the education and attitude of frontline Managers. 
www.hcamag.com 2011

Many organisations who seek to improve their support of women at work spend copious amounts of time, money and resources on developing best-practice parental leave policies. And there are some fantastic strategies and supports that are available for families beyond the national paid parental leave. These policies and the flexibility inherent in them is remarkable and is a testament to the value of working hard to retain skilled employees within the workplace for years to come. 

Compliance sits on a continuum from organisations who have no maternity leave policy and are guided by legislative requirements to national and multi-national organisations who 

On the world stage the variations in government-funded maternity leave is phenomenal. Scandinavians countries, who are renowned for their social policies have some of the longest maternity leave supports and involve the mandatory inclusion of fathers into these leave policies. 

It is true that women will be drawn to attractive maternity leave policies this should not be the sole focus. Whilst moving towards a higher standard of flexibility and financial support is a highly desirable goal within the scope of maternity leave for women, the reality is that even the best policies can be undone by the critical interaction between the employee and their Manager. Costing organisations time, money and lose of skills, corporate IP and critical connections.

For organisations to see a genuine and ongoing return on investment in their maternity leave policy there needs to be a driven culture around how we manage maternity leave here. 

Just like the irony of an open-door policy with a Manager who is always too busy to talk or on the phone whenever anyone actually comes to their door, maternity leave policies need to be delivered in actions beyond the procedures dictated by the HR department. If you employ women and truly want to retain the skills of professional women as well as support health and well-being throughout maternity then organisations have to go beyond compliance. 

Maximising Maternity offers training programs for Managers to move beyond compliance and move towards embracing the situation. Find out about these programs here.