Tiger roundtable - Return to Work Parents

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CONTENTS
Introduction The state of play Stigmas in the workplace
Employer best practice What does the future hold? Summary

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1. https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/publications/mfi2019_full
Without a doubt, the reintegration of return-to-work
(RTW) parents is an important issue for businesses
today. RTW policies affect all parents, regardless of
gender. While many employers might only consider
how policies affect females, according to the
Working Families’ Modern Families Index 2019, just
under half of fathers work flexible hours, compared
to 51% of mothers.1
The phrase RTW parents is
used throughout this report and encompasses all
parents, including birth and adoptive parents.
Tiger Recruitment hosted a roundtable event in
January 2020 which brought together a select group
of HR leaders across global banking and financial
services companies, a boutique asset management
firm, a large property company and a multinational
law firm. Some attendees had overcome potential
challenges and found success with reintegrating
RTW parents, while others were looking to learn
more about motivating RTW parents back to work.
This report brings together the highlights from
that discussion, offering practical solutions for
employers looking to develop their policies around
the reintegration of RTW parents. I hope this report
helps to cement the importance of retaining and
attracting talent through successfully integrating
parents into the workplace.
Rebecca Siciliano
Managing Director of Tiger Recruitment
INTRODUCTION

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Maternity leave:
52 weeks, regardless of length of employment. Split into ordinary
and additional maternity leave (26 weeks each).
Ordinary maternity leave: The first 26 weeks of maternity leave.
The mother has a right to return to the same role on completion
of ordinary maternity leave.
Additional maternity leave: The last 26 weeks of maternity leave.
The mother has a right to return to the same role, unless it is not
‘reasonably practicable’ for her employer. She must then be offered
a similar and appropriate role, on no less favourable terms.
Maternity pay:
Up to 39 weeks, at 90% of gross average weekly earnings for the
first six weeks, and £148.68 or 90% of average weekly earnings
(whichever is lower) for the remaining period. The mother must
have been employed for at least 26 weeks up to the 15th week
before the baby is due.
Paternity leave:
One or two weeks of leave, which must be taken in one block during
the first 56 days of the child’s birth. The father must have been
employed for at least 26 weeks up to the 15th week before the
baby is due.
Paternity pay:
£148.68/week, or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever
is lower). The father must have been employed for at least 26
weeks up to the 15th week before the baby is due.
Adoption leave:
The same as maternity leave. Only one person in the couple can
take adoption leave (with the other parent taking paternity leave).
Adoption pay:
Paid for up to 39 weeks at the same rate as maternity leave.
A parent must be working at least 26 weeks with the same
employer by the week they are matched with the child.
Shared parental leave:
50 weeks of leave shared between eligible birth and adoptive
parents. Must be taken within the first year of the child being
born/placed with the family.
For birth parents, both must have been continuously employed
by the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th
week before the due date.
For adoptive parents, both must be continuously employed by
the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the week
they are matched with the child.
Shared parental pay:
37 weeks at £148.68/week, or 90% of average weekly earnings,
whichever is lower.
UK STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS*
*As at February 2020 on gov.uk

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THE STATE OF PLAY
None of the companies represented at the
roundtable offer a formal, one-size-fits-all
policy: it was felt across the board that it was
important to analyse every instance of parental
leave on a case-by-case basis. Two thirds of
businesses around the table offer over and
above statutory leave benefits, with the best
of these being six months’ full pay, followed
by six months’ statutory pay.
In terms of flexibility, our roundtable attendees
are currently allowing their RTW parents to work
from home, change their set days off and/or work
on a part-time basis. According to one of our
attendees, they felt it important to reiterate that
when it comes to returning on a part-time basis,
that parent can’t be expected to work at the
same capacity as before.
While most of our attendees had experience
with RTW mothers, one of the HR practitioners
was in the process of organising shared parental
leave for an adoptive father. That business is
attempting to offer him as much flexibility as
possible. Shared parental leave is less likely to be
taken up by parents than maternity or paternity
leave.1
This means that both the employer and
employee are learning about and moving through
this process together.
of businesses around
the table offer over
and above statutory
leave benefits
67%
1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43026312
80%
of the work they used
to complete”
Roundtable attendee
“If someone is working
four days a week, it
means they should have
“EMBRACING FLEXIBILITY
HAS ALLOWED DIVERSITY”
ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEE

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT NOW?
1. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/
peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/
familiesandthelabourmarketengland/2019
2. https://www.wired.com/story/five-years-tech-diversity-reports-
little-progress
3. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/03/06/uk-best-europe-
female-chief-executives-women-still-account
4. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/
employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/february2020
5. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/
employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/january2020
The UK is currently experiencing its lowest
unemployment rate since 1974. At 3.8%, UK
employers are seeing severe talent shortages.
In addition, from April to June 2019, 24.9% of
mothers and 7.4% of fathers with dependent
children were not actively working in the UK.1
It
stands to reason that more effective RTW policies
will improve a company’s employer brand and
ability to attract this segment of the population.
Improved RTW policies could also positively
impact diversity quotas for some companies.
We’re seeing a stark lack of diversity in certain
sectors such as IT, engineering and construction.
For example, tech giants in the US like Facebook,
Apple and Microsoft have published their diversity
numbers since 2014, but their efforts to increase
women in their workforces demonstrate very little
progress. Facebook has only managed to increase
its female workforce from 15% to 23% over a five-
year period, while Apple and Microsoft’s female
workforces increased by just 3%.2
Closer to home in the City of London, the banking
sector is seeing large numbers of women resign
following the births of their children, likely
impacted by cultures of long working hours
and an ongoing resistance to flexible working
arrangements. If the average age of first-time
mums is 31 in the UK, that’s almost ten years
of intellectual property per person lost. It follows
that just 6% of women go on to become CEOs
or MDs in the UK, while our European neighbours
fare far worse.3
However, ONS figures released in February 2020
revealed that women are increasingly returning
to the workplace, with 150,000 more women in
full-time work between October-December 2019
than the previous quarter. This increase is a trend
from the previous quarter,4
which saw a record
high 15.58 million women in the workplace.5
While this was in part due to the retirement
age for women being raised from 60 to 65, BBC
reported that this number “was also boosted by
fewer women remaining economically inactive
to care for children and other relatives”.6
So,
numbers of working mothers in the UK are
increasing. It’s now up to employers to attract
them and harness their potential.

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Unfortunately, RTW parents continue to suffer
in the wake of ongoing misconceptions about
their needs. In fact, one in five mothers has
experienced harassment or negative comments
related to pregnancy or flexible working from
their employer or colleagues,1
while nearly half
of working fathers have reported experiencing
tension regularly at work when trying to balance
work and family life.2
STIGMAS IN THE
WORKPLACE

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Where potential employers are interviewing
RTW parents, hiring managers should be
educated beforehand on appropriate questions
to ask as part of the interview process. Any
information relating to their personal lives, even
inadvertently gathered, may unfairly bias RTW
parents moving into a new role.
At our roundtable, some of the HR professionals
had experienced first-hand the challenges
of returning to work following parental leave.
One described the feeling of, “wanting to show
you’re back in the game”, while feeling exhausted
following a night when the baby was unwell or
hadn’t slept. These scenarios have the potential
to negatively impact an employer’s view of a
RTW parent.
Expectations of genders also play a role in
stigmas. One attendee described a situation
where their employee wanted her male partner
to look after their sick child, but he found it
difficult to discuss the situation with his manager.
Parents are also suffering from a form of self-
stigmatisation, our attendees reported, with
some RTW parents so worried they’ll be judged
negatively at work that they overcompensate.
Stemming from a fear of being negatively
perceived by managers and co-workers, this
overcompensation can result in exhaustion and
a deep-rooted displeasure at work.
Stigmas may also come from older co-workers
and management who may not have experienced
the same benefits on their own parental leave.
In the event they fail to understand the
importance of reintegrating today’s RTW parents,
this may represent an obstacle for flexible
working requests.
1. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/managing-pregnancy-
and-maternity-workplace/pregnancy-and-maternity-discrimination-
research-findings
2. https://www.daddilife.com/the-millennial-dad-at-work/
“THERE’S NO SUPPORT FOR
[WORKING] DADS TO BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR LOOKING
AFTER THEIR CHILDREN”
ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEE

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Ultimately, it’s the employer’s responsibility
to adopt strategies to combat any stigma
at work, starting with managing the
expectations of all internal staff. From the
top down, communication should be clear
about elements such as leave processes and
workload. It’s also up to the business to ensure
their RTW parents know what they can expect
from their workplace, including any possible
options for flexible working. Additionally,
RTW policies or processes should be easy
for employees to understand.
Fortunately, business leaders around the globe
have started to speak up about how having
children has improved their ability to carry
out their roles. For example, in New Zealand,
Ex-Vodafone Resourcing Manager Gaynor
Topham has openly spoken about the
improvement to her transferrable skills like
productivity, networking and purpose as a
working mother.1
Closer to home, 30% Club
CEO Helena Morrissey has publicly stated that
she was encouraged by a previous manager
“STRATEGIES HAVE
TO COME FROM
THE TOP DOWN”
ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEE
COMBATING
PREJUDICE
1. https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/article/5-killer-work-skills-
youve-honed-as-a-mother
2. https://www.london.edu/think/changemakers-helena-morrissey
to bring “what [she] could do differently”2
to her
role in order to succeed. She now encourages
other women and mothers to “bring [their] whole
selves to work.” In doing so, business leaders
set the standard for highlighting the inherent
benefits of RTW parents in the workplace.

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Businesses have a responsibility and legal
obligation to consider flexibility requests from
RTW parents. These could come in many forms,
from allowing a RTW parent to return on a part-
time basis, to permitting a change in their work
hours when family emergencies occur. Flexible
arrangements support employees in a holistic
sense, which in turn encourages them to stay
loyal to their employer following parental leave.
Our roundtable attendees highlighted three of
the most important flexible work arrangements
for RTW parents.
Working from home
The ability of a RTW parent to work from
home (WFH) often depends on their role in the
business. For example, a manager may be able
to regularly work remotely, while a receptionist
may not be able to enjoy the same flexibility. It’s
then the responsibility of the employer to explore
a different sort of flexibility for these members of
staff, like job sharing to permit someone to work
part-time hours.
At the roundtable, all attendees agreed it was
important to ensure that a parent working from
home had adequate childcare in place. One
attendee cited a situation where a worker’s
EMPLOYER
BEST PRACTICE

11
request to work from home was refused following
the employer learning that childcare hadn’t been
organised for their WFH days.
Flexible working
Businesses can prevent the stigmatisation
of RTW parents by offering a blanket flexible
working policy for all employees. Flexible working
can include options like flexi-hours around a
core day, job sharing and reduced hours. Tiger
Recruitment produced a flexible working report in
2019 which summarised the findings of a similar
roundtable event. You can request a copy here.
Part-time work
A popular arrangement among RTW parents,
working part-time allows them to balance their
professional and personal lives by reducing their
hours. One, perhaps surprising, outcome of
part-time hours, however, was the fact that it
became harder for employees to keep up with
office news, including spontaneous meetings
and announcements. It was agreed, among
attendees, that a business should have a form
of communication in place to ensure parents are
kept in the loop.
Sometimes, however, flexible arrangements are
not always possible. For example, someone in
a senior role that requires travelling may find
that their options are limited. Equally, employers
can’t always approve part-time requests if the
result is an excessive strain on the team. In this
event, both employer and employee should
communicate as transparently as possible in
order to achieve a compromise.
In the event that longer hours are a given within a
role, it may mean that a RTW parent simply can’t
return to work at all. One attendee cited how the
long hours in their finance company resulted in a
mass exodus of working mothers following their
maternity leave. This is echoed in data from the
Equality and Human Rights Commission, which
found that 54,000 mothers a year across the UK
left their jobs while pregnant.1
In such working environments, a significant shift
in policy and mindset is required from business
leaders in order to retain their prospective parents.
“IN SEPTEMBER 2019, WE
HELD A ROUNDTABLE EVENT
TO DISCUSS THE PRACTICAL
IMPLEMENTATION OF
FLEXIBLE WORKING
POLICIES. YOU CAN
REQUEST THE REPORT
OF OUR FINDINGS HERE”
1. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/managing-pregnancy-
and-maternity-workplace/pregnancy-and-maternity-discrimination-
research-findings

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MANAGING THE
LEAVE PERIOD
So, what can employers do to manage the
reintegration of RTW parents successfully? Our
roundtable found that effective management
of the leave and transition period is integral to
its success. The following are three important
elements that our roundtable attendees
highlighted in their discussion.
Keep in touch days
According to www.gov.uk, RTW parents can, by
law, work up to 10 paid days during their parental
leave, known as ‘keep in touch’ (KIT) days. They
are optional, so both the employer and employee
should agree when they will be used and for
what purpose. This should be agreed before an
employee starts their KIT days.
On KIT days, an employee can partake in any
work they would normally undertake as part of
their role. This can include training, conferences
and meetings. An employee doesn’t have to work
a full day; it could be part of the day or for just
a few hours.
“IT’S A WAY OF
REINTEGRATING [MOTHERS]
BACK INTO WORK OVER
THOSE LAST FEW MONTHS
OF THEIR MATERNITY LEAVE”
ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEE
At our roundtable, many attendees cited how
their employees used these to keep up to date
with news and any changes around the business.
Some employees preferred to use these towards
the end of their leave to transition back into
the workplace.
However, there can be a lack of education around
this aspect of someone’s leave, as many of our
attendees found their employees were confused
Many of our
attendees found
their employees were
confused about their
rights or were afraid
to ask about them

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about their rights or were afraid to ask about
them. If a business is willing to offer KIT days,
they should communicate exactly how a RTW
parent can use them to transition back to work.
Communication
Good communication is one of the most
important aspects to managing a successful
RTW transition. This includes understanding the
parameters of when it’s acceptable to contact
parents while on leave, as well as communicating
to the wider business about RTW policies in place.
Different rules of communication existed and
worked well for our attendees and their RTW
parents. First and foremost, it was agreed that
it was critical to establish how the employee
would like to be contacted from the outset.
Examples of communication included phone-in
checks, letters and access to an app/intranet.
Essentially, an employee should be kept in the
loop about any internal vacancies, company
announcements and other important information.
Equally, employees on parental leave should be
invited to any team or company social events.
All communication should be carefully managed
so that the employee doesn’t feel obligated
to work on leave. One point of unanimous
agreement was that parents shouldn’t be
expected to answer their emails while on leave.
A few businesses around the table switched off
system access during this period as well.
Employees in the wider business should
understand that they may not contact a parent
on leave with daily questions or notifications,

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“AN EMPLOYEE SHOULD BE
KEPT IN THE LOOP ABOUT ANY
INTERNAL VACANCIES, COMPANY
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND OTHER
IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
EQUALLY, EMPLOYEES ON
PARENTAL LEAVE SHOULD
BE INVITED TO ANY TEAM OR
COMPANY SOCIAL EVENTS.”
unless it’s been agreed beforehand. Clearly
communicating the RTW policies or guidelines
internally can help to better manage the
expectations of RTW parents’ colleagues.
However, this can be an especially difficult issue
to navigate when there are different cultures or
legislations within the business. One attendee
described how she went on maternity leave
for the statutory 12 months from the business’
London office, only to realise that her US
colleagues had only expected her to take three
(as is statutory there). Situations like this need
to be properly managed via a central internal
communications or HR team.
The transition back
Our attendees start the conversation of transition
about eight months into maternity leave. An open
dialogue at this stage is more likely to encourage
parents to reveal what they need to transition back
to work successfully.
Tools to help a parent transition successfully include:
yy A back-to-work pack to remind parents
of their rights and company policies
yy A newsletter on recent company changes
yy A mini induction outlining new systems and
faces in the business

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“IF A MOTHER HAS BEEN
ON MATERNITY LEAVE FOR
TWELVE MONTHS, THERE IS
NO LEGAL OBLIGATION FOR
THEM TO GO BACK TO THE
SAME ROLE.”
yy Linking the RTW parent with a buddy to
help them navigate the first months back
at work
yy A tailored phased return, where the parent
may start with one or two days a week to
ease them in to the workplace
Managing expectations throughout the transition
period is critical, both between the parent and
management as well as between the parent and
their colleagues. The employee may not be able
to jump straight back to the same pace of work,
for example – and their co-workers should be
clear on this if it’s the case. Regular check-in
sessions between HR/management and the
employee will further help to ensure a smooth
transition period.
If a mother has been on maternity leave for
twelve months, there is no legal obligation
for them to go back to the same role and, in
some cases, that role may not be available.
The employer is obliged, however, to offer
a similar role that extends (at minimum) the
same benefits and salary as the previous
position. In this situation, open communication
and a mutual agreement between employee
and employer is necessary, as there will be
discussions to determine which positions
are most suitable for them.
Returnships have also proven popular among
employers looking to reintegrate RTW parents.
As paid, short-term contracts for experienced
and senior professionals, these provide a
way for individuals to transition back into the
workforce after a career break – usually ending
in a permanent position for the employee.
High-profile companies like EY, Macquarie
Bank and Man Group are already running
these programs,1
affording them access to
experienced individuals before committing
to a permanent contract. Well-organised
returnships also offer RTW parents access to
coaching and support while they ease back
into the workplace.
1. http://corp.womenreturners.com/returnships

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WHAT DOES THE
FUTURE HOLD?
1. https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/employee-experience/
employers-should-expect-increase-in-shared-parental-leave
2. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/shared-
parental-leave-flop-taking-makes-no-financial-sense
3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51384614
What will RTW practices look like in the future?
When we put this question to our roundtable
attendees, they agreed that it would be the
physical workspace, for the most part, that
could change. For example, workplaces would
be most likely to host facilities such as feeding
rooms (a benefit that is already included in
two of the current offices represented). On-
site crèche facilities would also aid a parent’s
transition back to work.
In terms of policy, the future sees more fathers
desiring equal leave policies from their employers
and government. The UK government’s current
shared parental leave policy has not had a high
participation rate from fathers, with only 7% of
eligible fathers having made use of it. However,
“38% of those planning to have further children
[are] intend[ing to take shared parental leave]
when they have their next child.”1
Reasons cited for this slow uptake include parents
finding they will be at a financial disadvantage in
comparison to the mother taking maternity leave
alone,2
or that they find the system too complex.1
The answer may be to look to countries like
Sweden, Portugal and, more recently, Finland,
who have implemented a system where maternity
and paternity policies don’t exist. Rather, there is
one, clear policy where all parents are entitled to
240 (Sweden), 164 (Finland) and 120 (Portugal)3
days paid leave. This may eliminate existing biases
against RTW mothers in the workplace, while
giving fathers the option to take time off work
to care for their children if they wish to.
In the City of London, Goldman Sachs is ahead
of its competitors by offering equal, fully-
paid leave of 20 weeks,4
backing it up with a
supportive intranet for working parents where
they can share experiences regarding childcare
and raising a family. Some businesses, like
CA Technologies, already offer free, in-house
childcare, while Facebook in the US offers a baby
bonus to ease the financial burden.
EY provides parent coaches for their
employees, allowing them to access advice
on how to manage work and life effectively.
Marks & Spencer prides itself on offering paid
time off for prospective parents to attend
adoption meetings and IVF treatments.

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When well-known RTW parents like New
Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern, MP Tāmati
Coffey or former MP Jo Swinson bring their
children to work (in their case chambers
of parliament), they raise awareness of the
stigmas still attached to RTW parents. It also
highlights that, across both politics and the
corporate world, RTW rights for all parents
– including men and adoptive parents – are
only in their infancy.
We produced this report to assist with
the research and strategy setting of the
successful reintegration of RTW parents.
Tiger Recruitment produces a range of
resources on the changing nature of the
workplace. You can find these, along with
other workplace insights, on our website.
SUMMARY

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