Cultivating an inclusive and adaptive work culture with Instant Impact

We’re passionate at Octopus EV that a supported team gets great results which is why we partnered with Instant Impact and invited a group of speakers down to Octopus HQ for a discussion on gender equality, family life, and their impact on the modern working world.

We were lucky enough to be joined by an impressive keynote speaker Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, which was followed by a panel with Georgie Leonce, Head of People, Culture & Development at Shieldpay; Kamika S, Senior HR Business Partner in the Tech Industry; and Louise Fraser, our People & Culture Director here at Instant Impact.

Joelie Brearley kicked off the event by highlighting some alarming statistics on the discrimination of pregnant women within the workplace. Research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission shows that 77% of pregnant women encounter workplace discrimination and 54,000 lose their jobs due to pregnancy every year. Alarmingly, these numbers have doubled in the past two years.

We heard powerful stories from women across the UK who faced discrimination after disclosing their pregnancies. One woman resorted to taking a shot of vodka each morning to prove she wasn’t pregnant, while another went into early labour due to workplace harassment. Joeli referred to this as the “Motherhood Penalty,” a systemic disadvantage that often drives mothers into financial hardship and, in some cases, traps them in abusive relationships due to financial instability.

Research shows that 1 in 3 employers think pregnant women and new mothers are less interested in career progression, while 37% of employers would openly advertise jobs exclusively to men if it were legal. And those without children are 2.4 times more likely to call back for a job interview compared to mothers. All of these shocking statistics only prove how ingrained gender bias is within our workplaces.

Having open conversations with employers and their teams about the business benefits of family-friendly policies makes it easier for anyone in the business to feel comfortable disclosing their pregnancy. Unilever saw 30% higher retention when they prioritised a family-first approach.

Companies like Aviva and Deloitte have adopted policies to support gender-neutral caregiving, allowing both parents to take advantage of their equal leave policies. Joeli noted that 1 in 3 dads would change their jobs for a more family-friendly workplace.

Current workplace culture rewards those who work overtime, but mothers can’t compete with this. To help tackle the problem Toyota, for example, introduced 6-hour workdays and saw a productivity boost. Joeli stressed the importance of senior leaders leading by example and adopting a ‘leave loudly’ approach - leaving the office on time and encouraging the team to do the same.

Businesses can’t measure the impact of their policies without data. This is why it’s important to analyse parental leave, promotions and retention to see if their policies are working. They can then improve and track progress based on this.

To finish up, Joeli highlighted that mothers and among the most productive employees when properly supported, noting research from Microsoft that women with children outperform others at every one of their career stages.

We were left on a hard-hitting note and a challenge - we know mothers excel when supported properly, so what are we going to do to have a positive impact moving forward?

We then delved into what it means to build a truly inclusive workplace with 4 key insights:

Louise Fraser from Instant Impact highlighted that allyship transforms caregiving from an individual concern into a shared responsibility. When non-caregivers, especially men, actively participate in caregiving, it aids in dismantling gendered expectations. The executive role modelling at Instant Impact cultivates a strong sense of belonging.

To reduce the pressure on young carers, Kamika from Riskonnect, discussed their five days of paid leave for them, helping those balancing personal and professional responsibilities. Instant Impact’s flexible work policy is designed to support both parents and caregivers without strict rules.

It’s crucial all employees feel valued, especially now more of us are working remotely. Louise highlighted the importance of equal opportunity for promotions. Georgie Leonce noted tools such as HeyTaco and Slido, which help promote remote engagement and peer recognition at Shieldpay.

Benefits that truly help your team only increase employee retention. Georgie highlighted Shieldpay’s menopause coverage, and Kamika praised the Co-op’s unlimited leave policy for medical treatments. Both these businesses are making employee well-being a priority and helping retention.

As the discussion came to a close, each speaker reflected on some benefits they feel make a difference :

• Microsoft's backup childcare program gives parents access to approved caregivers if an employee’s childcare falls through.
• At Shieldpay employees can work anywhere in the world for two weeks a year.

This event only highlighted the importance of companies creating an inclusive and adaptive workplace where all employees are supported whatever their situation. Balancing unpaid labour at home with our work lives is integral in building a better future for the next generation. That’s not to say it won’t be easy, changing the norms will require an effort but moving forward with the right policies means businesses can create environments where employees not only are supported but are thriving professionally too.