Network News: The Maternity Pledge
Your success requires the aid of others
How’s your matrescence?
Having kids brings all sorts of new and complex challenges as well as a lot of joy of course! Susie Dale is mother to Finlay, who is 5 today — happy birthday Finlay! and Max, who is 2, and now helps others navigate the emotional transition into motherhood.
That transition is known as matrescence (that was a new one to us too) and Susie is helping others through her social enterprise, The Maternity Pledge.
What, how, who?
As a startup, what do you do for new mothers? Do you have maternity practices and policies in place?
What you can do is sign up to The Maternity Pledge — here — to show your support and commitment to making your workplace one that values pregnant employees and new mothers.
The Maternity Pledge is free to join and helps employers support working mothers during pregnancy, maternity leave and returning to the workplace, and provides wellbeing support for the transition into motherhood.
What is the pledge bit about? The Maternity Pledge puts five simple pillars in place that start from pregnancy right through to the return to work which help mothers feel valued and supported so they want to stay in the same workplace when they return.
The pledge comes with a digital badge, handbook and tools to help implement the pillars really easily.
Additional support
Susie also focuses on ongoing wellbeing and employers can purchase ‘Matrescence Support Packs’ for staff (£30pp). These expert-led unique packs focus on the little talked about but hugely transformational experience of matrescence — the identity shift experienced by all new mothers. It also includes a free subscription to The Maternity Pledge members club which runs during maternity leave and includes coaching tips and advice on returning to the workplace.
It's a social enterprise so the long term plan is to invest in research in matrescence and maternity leave, the data of which can be shared with employers, as well as hopefully make some real world actual change.
Susie is now looking for more companies to join the pledge. You can register online here and set up a call to talk it through and ask any questions you have about the pledge or support packs.
So register here or email Susie on susannah@maternitypledge.com
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