Dr Natalie Parsons: Allowing all parents to thrive at work

Culture Shock

In this week’s episode, I’m honoured to speak with Dr Natalie Parsons, co-founder of Parent Promise, a company that helps businesses support the health and well-being of parents in the workplace.
We discuss:

- The current issues parents and expecting parents to face at work
- What it takes for workplaces to be truly family-friendly by being more inclusive and supportive
- The experience of black mothers in the maternity system
- The lack of research on the experience of LGBTQA+ families
- How the next generation is looking for family-friendly companies
- The importance of getting parent-friendly policies right
- What change looks like to create a supportive family-friendly workplace
There is a growing expectation from employees that workplaces must do more to support them on their parenting journey - beyond just the basic legal requirements. Becoming a parent can be tough and a supportive work environment can make all the difference for both the employer and the employee. This conversation opens up so many areas that companies, candidates, and employees to consider, so I hope there’s something you can take away to support you.
About Natalie:
Natalie is an ex-research scientist with a PhD in nanoscience. She co-founded Parent Promise in 2022 with Dearbump founder Emma Jarvis to ensure people starting families felt supported and able to thrive in their professional and personal lives. The motivation for doing so was that as a woman in her late 20s I felt, she had to start making preparations so that she'd be able to start a family when she was ready to; that included reassessing her career altogether, which many women do.
About Parent Promise
Parent Promise helps businesses support the health and well-being of women and parents in the workplace. We offer specialised support from pregnancy through to parental leave and early parenthood. Our ambition is to help women have a healthier, more positive pregnancy and birth experience, and enable them to feel supported and confident in returning to work if they choose. One area we support our pregnant clients is by offering digital support to gain access to practicing midwives who can help with any concerns and offer advice on demand without the need for an appointment.

Website: https://parentpromise.co.uk/
Resources:
The Motherhood Group and Black Maternal Health Week: https://www.themotherhoodgroup.com/
March for the Mummies by Pregnant than Screwed: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/event-march-of-the-mummies/
Mother Pukker and Flex Appeal: https://www.motherpukka.co.uk/flex/
About your hosts:
Janine Jacobs and Louisa Mourdant co-founded Happy HQ, a people-first company culture specialist. In a world where culture is central to company success, HappyHQ helps guide companies along the way. We have dissected culture into 8 key areas and 70 topics. From workshops and culture mapping to policy writing and change implementation, we can help across it all.
Find us here:
Website: https://happyhq.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhq_uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happyhq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyHQ.UK/