Chwarae Teg Solutions Re-launched
20th June 2010
Our training and consultancy programme re-launched to great accolade back in June, with the first of our updated seminar programmes helping employers from businesses large and small across Wales.
Delivered by Alana Vaughan Parry, our Managing Maternity Returners seminar kicked off the new programme of training events. Here she explains the importance of retaining pregnant employees and how there are many practical solutions to ensure organisations can retain a productive workforce.
Alana said: “Organisations who manage their pregnant employees and new mothers are best placed to keep their female talent, boost loyalty and build their reputation as an employer of choice.
“Nowadays, women are delaying starting a family; they have been with an organisation for some time and risen to more senior positions. In line with this finding, research by the CBI has found that the cost of recruiting senior managers is £12,000.
“Chwarae Teg's experience of working with women in the workplace enables us to offer up to date information and practical solutions to ensure that organisations are best placed to retain a skilled workforce,” she added.
Mark Gauci, HR advisor at Admiral Insurance attended the seminar and explained what he could take from it to introduce into his day-to-day working practices: “The seminar offered simple explanations for complicated legal and procedural requirements and I now feel confident that I can clearly communicate maternity entitlement to employees and also offer helpful advice regarding employer responsibilities to our HR manager.
“At Admiral we have a large and diverse workforce so we understand the value of a robust flexible working policy. Allowing maternity returners to work flexibly so they can balance their work and new parental responsibilities is vital in retaining staff and prevents the company losing employees and expertise unnecessarily. A course like this reminds employers of the value of policies such as flexible working and provides practical advice on how to manage the transition for maternity returners in a way that not only meets legal requirement but benefits all concerned.”
As well as a representative from Admiral Insurance, Cerys Davies who runs her own beauty salon – Bliss Beauty – attended the seminar. Cerys said: “We currently have two members of staff due to go on maternity leave, so this seminar was useful to refresh my knowledge and get me up to speed on my obligations as an employer. The seminar also reminded me of good practice on managing maternity procedures, and informed me of key legal obligations that I hadn’t previously been aware of.”
To find out more about the training and consultancy we offer, please take a look at our Chwarae Teg Solutions section of the website.
Did you Know?
"Companies with 30% women in senior positions are more likely to have a culture where all women thrive"
- London Business School
