Careering through parenting: building an inclusive workforce

Creating an inclusive workplace means giving everyone the tools and support to help them better understand each other. At Centrica our Working Parents Network is one of many colleague networks that supports this.

As the co-founder of the network, we set out two years ago with the ambition to help support parents, particularly those returning to work after paid parental leave.

When coming back to work many of our colleagues told us they would appreciate guidance to help them, and their managers deal with the change.  Some just want to get back to work and leave home at home, others feel guilt for leaving their children and /or not feeling they can commit as much to work, or they worry how others will perceive them.  Some managers of returning parents also said that they would appreciate support in the practical application of Centrica’s policies/procedures for parents and also some guidance on how best to welcome parents back.

That’s why we’ve created a toolkit for our managers who have colleagues returning from parental leave. It’s only recently launched but we’ve already had great feedback from managers who have benefited from the links to all our policies, the return-to-work process, and some great helpful tips on helping colleagues with coming back to work.

This is the latest addition to the package of benefits and support that the network and Centrica provide parents. We want to make sure that all working parents have a truly positive experience when returning from parental leave.