Your feedback leads to changes in our family policies
10 Jun 2019
University reviews its family policies to reflect staff feedback
We have updated our maternity leave and paternity leave policies to provide staff with more time off in the event of a premature birth. This change is a result of comments made on The Hive.
We recognise that when a baby is born early maternity leave automatically begins, resulting in an early return to work than expected. The early weeks of the baby’s life are likely to be spent in hospital, and this will give both parents the opportunity to spend more time with the baby.
In November 2018 we asked for your suggestions on how our family policies could be improved via The Hive.
The campaign received:
- 50 ideas
- 163 comments
- 2,112 votes
Following this campaign we have also:
- Doubled our bereavement leave in the event of a member of staff losing a child
- Increased our guidance and training on flexible working
- Launched new guidance for pregnant staff and their managers, along with e-learning
We continue to work on embedding more of your suggestions. In particular we have identified a number of new welfare spaces on campus that can be used by breastfeeding women, and these will be communicated more widely very soon along with an interactive map.
These changes are just part of our continuing commitment to support our working parents at the University. In the last year we have:
- Introduced returner coaching to support staff returning from family leave – available through our Staff Learning and Development Department.
- Launched a new Fertility Treatment Policy providing time off to staff undergoing treatment and their partners
- Updated our Flexible Working Policy
- Launched a Carers Policy to support our staff who are balancing work and caring responsibilities
If you have any questions about our new policies or ongoing plans, please contact Gemma Dale, HR Policy And Engagement Manager.