Parental challenge: making parenthood at work easier

Wellbeing at work is far from limited to the strictly professional sphere. It also finds its way into the employee's work-life balance. This balance calls for a certain amount of organisation, dictated by obligations of which parenthood may be one. Formerly known as the Parental act, the Parental challenge aims to ease the employee's transition into their new pace of life.

This programme - initiated by Selma El Mouissi and Judith Aquien - aims to make life easier for parents at work through 12 measures that the signatory companies undertake to put in place. Some of these measures aim to support employees through their transition, others to provide better pay during parenthood-related leave. A final group of measures also aims to guarantee maximum flexibility for the new parent.
We offer you a review of these measures, with a few concrete applications in force at Morning, which signed the Parental challenge at the end of 2021.

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Communicating with employees,
Through their transition towards their new rhythm
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Entering parenthood is a pivotal period, during which the company must support its employee. Among the measures of the Parental challenge, a number are dedicated to communicating their rights to employees.

☞ Apply the law and communicate their rights to all employees.

All employees must know their rights. The information must be available and freely accessible. At Morning, the HR team uses various communication channels (email, Slack, one-to-ones, etc.) at different times. The team is permanently on hand to talk things through with employees. (Read also: Kindness at work: the keys to wellbeing in the workplace)

☞ Provide better support for long parenthood-related leave (maternity, adoption, second parent, parental).

The employee may need to reorganise their schedule when they announce their parenthood. The company must give the employee the best possible support in their preparation and in their return to work. At Morning, an Asana project lists all the tasks to be carried out when a happy event (paternity or maternity) is announced. The project is structured around 3 key stages:

• Before the birth, when the employee obtains the maternity calendar and a coordinator/HR meeting is scheduled to ensure a smooth transition.
• During the leave, when a new-baby gift is arranged.
• On the employee's return, when time for socialising, a professional review and a medical appointment are arranged.

☞ Ensure everyone's confidentiality so that each person can exercise their rights.

To guarantee a boundary between private life and working life, every company must undertake to respect the confidentiality of information specific to employees. Morning employees work in a caring environment that encourages them to approach these subjects with peace of mind. The HR team is available to talk about them, without taboo (on this subject, read also Company culture at Morning). 

☞ Equip managers and raise their awareness of discrimination.

Each manager and/or coordinator receives a guide when a pregnancy or forthcoming parenthood is announced. This booklet brings together all the advice to follow in order to communicate with your team members in a smooth and open way.

☞ Encourage second parents to get involved from the earliest moments of their parenthood.

Since the reform of paternity leave in July 2021, the length of leave for the father (or second parent) of a child to be born (or adopted) has doubled, rising from 14 to 28 days, seven of which are compulsory. Second parents are encouraged to be more present from the moment their new-born arrives.
At Morning, an Asana project detailing all the processes is made available to second parents.

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Providing better pay during parenthood-related leave,
For better financial support for the employee
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Generally, parenthood-related leave (parent, second parent and miscarriage) is only partially paid. The Parental challenge promotes better financial support for expectant parents, or for leave granted in the event of a miscarriage. Here are the measures relating to pay.

☞ Authorise and pay for the absences of employees applying to adopt, for compulsory appointments.

Adoption plans have their place within the Parental challenge, just as much as biological parenthood. Signatory employers authorise and pay for the compulsory appointments that take place during working hours. These may be information meetings and the appointments required for the psychosocial assessment of applicants.
This case has never yet arisen at Morning. Should an adoption plan nevertheless emerge among employees, the HR team remains open and ready to listen in order to give the employee the best possible support with their plans.

☞ Offer 3 days of paid bereavement leave in the event of a miscarriage, for biological mothers as well as for second parents.

One pregnancy in 4 ends during the first 3 months. The question had never come up, since in the event of a miscarriage the mother or the second parent goes on sick leave. This measure nevertheless prompted some reflection, and HR decided to introduce 1 day of paid leave for the parents and second parents concerned.

☞ Provide financial support for maternity, second-parent and adoption leave and ease the administrative side of it.

In this case the collective agreement is applied. Up to 3 years' service, the first 60 days are paid at 90% and the following 30 days at 75%. From 3 to 8 years' service, the first 120 days are paid at 90% and the following 30 days at 80%.

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Guaranteeing maximum flexibility,
To make the period of adjustment as smooth as possible
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Flexibility of hours and of workplaces is necessary in order to approach parenthood as calmly as possible.  Some of the measures of the Parental challenge place the emphasis on this flexibility.

☞ Allow all confirmed employees on permanent contracts to benefit from parenthood-related measures, with no length-of-service requirement.

Some collective agreements may require a minimum of 1 year's service in order to benefit from continued pay during maternity leave. For example, the collective agreement that Morning comes under provides for pay to be maintained at 90% of salary during the first 60 days of maternity leave, then 75% thereafter. 
In applying the measure, the Morning HR team has lifted the length-of-service requirements for benefiting from continued pay.

☞ Offer all our employees who are parents, and whose roles allow it, 100% remote work during the key moments before and after parenthood.

Every parent whose job allows it should enjoy the flexibility that remote work offers.
Remote work has always been at the heart of Morning's culture. Requests for full remote work were handled on a case-by-case basis; the process was not really structured. 
Today, each coordinator receives a guide to make the transition to 100% remote work easier when the happy event is announced.

☞ Put in place working hours that exclude no employee.

The company aims to adapt to new parents, not to exclude them. An adjustment of hours in line with new needs is to be expected. Morning's flexible culture and undefined hours make this measure very easy to apply. (Read also: The “work-life balance”, a crucial challenge)

☞ Grant at least 5 days of “sick child” leave.

The measure is currently applied in part. 2 days of paid leave are granted to parents if their child is ill, but the Morning team is free to switch to remote work if the child cannot go to school.
Only the baristas and reception hosts, whose jobs require them to be physically present, have to be on site.

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