Read: Family friendly policies are business friendly policies too

Purpose Coalition partner, Amazon, has announced that it is set to offer parents, grandparents and guardians working in its UK warehouses the option to work during term-time only. It has already trialled the new contracts across three sites and the scheme, which will entitle them to full-time benefits, will roll out to all its UK sorting centres and delivery hubs this year. It has also launched a flexible, part-time contract for a minimum of 80 hours a month that will allow staff to choose suitable part-time or full-day shifts, during the day or at night and at weekdays or weekends.

With current workforce shortages, businesses recognise that they have to be smart to attract and retain the right staff. The best understand that attracting and retaining parents, or would-be parents, as well as those with other caring responsibilities, requires a range of flexible working arrangements.   

That begins with maternity leave where the UK already trails behind other European countries. Mothers here can take up to 52 weeks off but fathers only two. In Germany parents can take unpaid leave of up to three years in addition to the statutory 14 weeks of maternity leave, without impacting their employment. They can also take any remaining time from the three years between their child’s third and eighth birthday. Norway allows each parent to take an additional year for each child, as well as a combined initial time off of between 46 and 56 weeks.

There are plenty of other examples of best practice from employers in the UK who have adopted a creative approach to family-friendly policies in the workplace. The Purpose Coalition has been working with many of them, including Amazon, to explore how organisations can ensure that opportunity is open to as many people as possible. They include Virgin Money whose research found that 60% of working parents would switch jobs for better parental leave. In response the company now offers equal parental leave for all from day one of employment. Mothers, fathers and those looking to adopt can take up to 20 weeks fully paid leave and 52 weeks leave overall and have the flexibility to choose when to take it and when to receive pay. Hotel group, Travelodge, offers a range of roles for working parents which are part-time and can fit around school hours. They can also pick up extra shifts if they want them, or swap shifts with colleagues if something unexpected comes up.

Ensuring that parents and carers feel heard in the workplace is crucial to building an inclusive workforce where colleagues feel their needs are recognised. It means businesses can create the best environment for attracting and retaining talent and individuals have a chance of making the most of their potential. That’s an economic and social win-win.