WOMBA
Building Progressive Cultures for Working Parents - One of the Essential Tools to Retain Talent

While many organisations are inclusive and supportive of working parents, many others still struggle to effectively navigate these challenges. This is becoming more important in the ongoing war for talent and companies with an inclusive culture can unlock the potential of all their employees, including working parents, as well as drive performance and innovation. WOMBA (Work, Me and the Baby) was built out of the need to support the professional growth and healthy family life of working parents and eliminate the negative association between parenting and career progression. According to an independent evaluation of WOMBA’s programmes, 86 per cent of expectant and returning parents recommend that other parents attend WOMBA workshops to tackle anxiety issues, bolster their confidence and manage their careers. Alison Green, Director, reports that parents with good support in place are often amazingly quick to reconnect with their careers and it is not unusual to see them promoted into a more senior role soon after returning.

Becoming a parent can be challenging for mums and dads. For dads, there are often differences between how they want to parent and the norms around it. The major concern of many fathers, while requesting an extended paternity leave or shared leave, is the discrimination they might experience and the impact of it on their career growth. WOMBA’s early research findings (carried out in collaboration with Hult Ashridge Business School) have revealed that fathers find shared parental leave policies complex to comprehend and navigate. In some cases, they have sought independent advice from lawyers on how to approach the HR regarding paternal leave as the issues are so complex.

WOMBA specialises in supporting working mums and dads through working parents’ programmes and one-on-one coaching, covering managing parental leaves, their career, and back-to-work scenarios. “We offer three 90-minute coaching sessions, before, during, and after the parental leave, supporting new parents to navigate the challenges of returning to work,” says Helen Sachdev, Director of WOMBA. The company provides individual and group coaching depending on the size of the organisation or the number of employees going on parental leave. The benefit of group coaching is that they get an opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences whereas one on-one coaching can be tailored to the specific circumstances of the individual.

WOMBA also focuses on supporting the managers as it is often complicated and challenging for them to navigate the policies for employees regarding parental leaves. WOMBA works with managers to effectively boost their confidence and build empathy for understanding, supporting, and managing team members who are returning from parental leave. “I didn’t know what I needed from coaching, having just returned from maternity. I left after just one session thinking that I could take over the world! The WOMBA coach had a real talent for helping me shift my mindset, giving me back confidence and helping me take the next leap in my career. Thank you and wish there was a WOMBA coach for every parent returning to work,” states a client of WOMBA.

Over time, WOMBA concluded that rather than trying to convince companies to align with inclusive concepts, it is better to work with organisations that are already on their progressive journey. It feels that it can add more value or make an impact in such organisations. WOMBA believes in partnering with them, adopting a flexible approach, and understanding their culture and needs through focus groups and/or questionnaires. WOMBA continues to grow, develop, and fine tune its services to better support organisations, employees, and leaders in taking conscious steps to building a progressive, inclusive culture