The founder of the ‘Pregnant then Screwed’ campaign has now launched a programme to support parents returning to work after parental leave.
Joeli Brearley has set up a company called Growth Spurt to help parents manage the “mental whiplash” they experience when returning to work after the arrival of a new baby.
“It has always struck me as completely baffling that we offer parents so much support during pregnancy – from antenatal classes to networks and courses – yet almost nothing for the other seismic transition: returning to work after parental leave,” said Brearley on social media.
She asked people to think of her new initiative as the “NCT for parents returning to work”.
The programme is billed as offering parents peer to peer support, coaching and knowledge-building events and 40 plus online workshops.
Brearley said it has been designed by psychologists, coaches, and uses insights from over 5,000 parents who’ve been through the return to work experience. The programme aims to support working parents through every step of the journey, from pregnancy, through to two years after returning to work.
“It builds confidence, improves wellbeing, and creates the support system so many of us wished we’d had during this monumentally life-changing phase of our life,” she said. “And for employers, Growth Spurt is an affordable, scalable way to support your parent employees.”
Brearley said early research shows that supporting parents’ return to work boosts wellbeing, productivity and happiness, while also helping employers retain talent.
She added that there’s “a tonne of stuff to help your people managers navigate this period effectively”.
Beta testing is due to start next month with 500 working parents and Brearley said she expects to start enrolling companies from the end of October.
She said: “I am looking for the first 10 companies who want to be part of this revolution in supporting parent employees.”
