Supporting Parents at Work: An SME Toolkit
What is this Toolkit, and who is it for?
Supporting expectant and new parents at work is good for business, health, and social justice. It boosts employee motivation and retention, improves workplace culture, promotes staff and child well-being, supports more involved fatherhood, and creates a more equitable society.
This toolkit provides support for mothers and fathers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with 1-249 staff. It is designed for both SME employers and employees, helping you understand each other’s perspectives and priorities.
We view ‘parenting’ as a journey – one with many twists, turns and ongoing challenges. The toolkit explores key stages of that journey, including expectant parenthood, parental leave and the return to work. It addresses the needs of all parents, including mothers, fathers and other non-birthing parents.
Our toolkit draws on findings from a large-scale UK research project, involving universities and key national support organisations, as well as SME employers and employees themselves(see About the Project). It provides examples of supportive practices and innovative approaches used by our participating organisations.
Why does it focus on SMEs?
Although 99.4% of all UK businesses are SMEs, most guidance on how to support parents at work is designed with large organisations in mind. This overlooks the unique realities of smaller workplaces. SMEs are diverse so there is no one-size-fits-all solution for parental support. However, many smaller organisations share key characteristics – such as informality, flexibility, and limited resources – that present both challenges and opportunities when it comes to supporting working parents.
This toolkit shows how SMEs can harness these characteristics to build a Supportive Workplace Culture (link to relevant section) and implement support measures that are both affordable and highly valued by staff. While the focus is on small and medium-sized organisations, including workplaces in the public and third sector, we hope that larger organisations will also find the toolkit useful and inspiring.
How to use the Toolkit
- This toolkit provides bite-sized information that allows you to choose whether you just want to learn about partial aspects of the topic or to get a more comprehensive overview.
- Each section includes examples of supportive practices and strategies that can help to address common challenges, particularly in settings with limited resources.
- We also signpost you to key information on the legal aspects of supporting parents at work, helping you navigate this journey (whether as employer or employee) with confidence and clarity.
- This toolkit is not intended to be prescriptive. Instead, it encourages open dialogue, flexibility and creative thinking around the diverse concerns, experiences and challenges that SME employers and employees may face during the parenting journey.
- It promotes a collaborative approach, where employers and employees work together to identify practical and meaningful solutions that support both happy and healthy working lives and thriving organisations.
