Manager Awareness Training
Awareness Training for Managers
Ensure your managers are equipped and confident when it comes to managing parental leave successfully.
So much time and thought is given to onboarding new joiners, but supporting employees through and back from parental leave is generally not given the same consideration. And while returners aren’t ‘new’ joiners, a lot can have changed for them and the organisation while they’ve been on parental leave and therefore the thought, and reality of returning can feel daunting, unsettling and overwhelming.
What's happening?
In a survey of maternity returners, 37% responded saying that they felt so unsupported and isolated on their return to work they considered handing in their notice. This is a huge problem because it’s likely to result either in an experienced, skilled and talented employee resigning, or the employee returning to work feeling disengaged and unproductive. Neither of which is good for the employer or employee.
Of course, HR plays an important role in the parental leave process, but how a manager responds and manages this period is vital to the relationship with the employee going forward.
Getting it wrong can prove costly.
Perhaps your managers are...
- Avoiding having those crucial conversations before, during and after parental leave meaning important issues are left unresolved or not spoken about and the new parent is left struggling and feeling unsupported.
- Either consciously or unconsciously are making assumptions about new parents’ families and situations and are therefore not being inclusive in their approach to parental leave.
- Simply unaware of why the transition to parental leave and then back to work can be so challenging for parents and just don’t realise the importance of their part in this and how they can help.
This is where manager training comes in. Providing dedicated training gives managers the time and resources to gain awareness and practical guidance on how they can support employees through the process of becoming a new parent and managing this alongside their career.
It benefits the company, the manager themselves and the employee.
How can training managers help?
Guidance
Training gives guidance and specific tips on what they can do as a manager before, during and after parental leave to better support employees. Giving managers tools empowers them to navigate what can feel like a challenging period.
Confidence
It builds confidence and therefore they are more likely to have rather than avoid important conversations with the employee. Having these conversations (around logistics and overall wellbeing) thoughtfully and with empathy demonstrates support and develops trust.
Understanding
It provides an insight into the concerns, doubts and challenges an employee might experience while pregnant at work, during parental leave and returning to work. Managers might simply not have considered these and it paints a better picture of what the employee might be going through.
Planning
Having productive and well-planned communication before and throughout parental leave allows the manager and returner to have a solid plan in place for the return to work. This can help the new parent feel settled and get up to speed quickly benefitting them and the company.
All parents
The training can also include how a manager might think about supporting a new parent not on parental leave too as they are likely to be dealing with significant change at home which can impact work life.
Relationships
Having continued and helpful conversations throughout this period demonstrates to the returner that they are valued which can do a lot to enhance the manager / employee relationship going forward.
Pregnancy, parental leave and those first few months of returning to work last for a relatively short time in an individual’s career. But it can feel a vulnerable time and how well (or badly) new parents are treated during it can have a deep and long-lasting impact that will be remembered.
Investing in training your for your managers means that they are positioned to support employees, helping them return to work successfully, resulting in better retainment, engagement and productivity.
You can book a free call below to discuss further or send me an email to rose@youbeyondbaby.com.
This is for you if:
- Your people are at the heart of your company and therefore supporting them through big life transitions is important to you.
- Your managers might not always feel confident about how to approach parental leave so avoid having conversations with expectant or new parents or leave it to HR to deal with rather than continuing to foster those relationships.
- Your returners are coming back to work after parental leave but suspect they’re struggling with the transition even if they’re not admitting it.
- You’re struggling to retain your employees after parental leave or in the early stages of parenthood (particularly women) but you know the importance of keeping hold of your skilled and experienced talent.
How it works
This training is designed to develop awareness in managers and provide them with guidance about supporting parents to be and new parents in their team through pregnancy, parental leave and on their return to work.
The training is tailored to your company’s needs so during an initial call we can discuss:
- What is working well currently around parental leave.
- Which areas could be improved.
- What the goals are for your company around managing parental leave.
Following this I can prepare a proposal and plan your bespoke training.
The training can be held online, in person or hybrid and lasts approximately an hour including time for Q&As. It’s designed for small groups of up to 8 managers.
Investment is from £800.
You can book a free call below to discuss further or send me an email to rose@youbeyondbaby.com.
About Rose
I worked in HR before having children, and my experience of this as well as maternity leave really inspired the direction of my business. Additionally, talking and listening to other parents and their stories of parental leave made me realise that there is a real need for better and greater quality support for parents during this time.
I started my Diploma in Professional Coaching Practice after I had my first baby and saw in myself and others the powerful impact coaching can have. This was the starting point for my business. I began to notice in the parents I spoke to that the support (or lack of) from managers had an important part to play in how they felt about returning to work and so developed the Manager Awareness Training.
I strongly believe that expectant and new parents can and should feel better about how they return to work and I think coaching and / or training (depending on the circumstance) can be hugely beneficial to this.
Testimonials
Alex