Work and family life have changed. So have the expectations of working parents.
Policies and enhanced leave still matter, but they’re no longer enough on their own. The organisations leading the way are moving beyond simply “being compliant” to building environments where parents can genuinely thrive and sustain performance over the long term. In our recent webinar, Beyond Policies: Rethinking Parental Support for Human Sustainability, colleagues from across NFP Human Capital explored what it really takes to help working parents thrive in a world where the demands of work and family life continue to intensify. Below are some of our key reflections from the discussion.
Parental support has shifted from “nice to have” to business-critical
We opened by discussing the changing reality of parenthood at work. As career transition specialist Rhiannon Rowley noted, becoming a parent isn’t a moment in time, it's a journey with recurring transitions, each of which impacts wellbeing, capacity and performance.
And data reinforces this:
- 87% of parents say returning to work is difficult
- 75% of mothers and 69% of fathers report workplace mental health concerns
- 97% of women fear asking for flexibility harms career progression
- 73% of parents consider an organisation’s approach to family support before accepting a job offer
These aren’t small numbers. They represent a large portion of the working population. The message was clear: supporting parents is now a priority for organisations.
We need an ecosystem, not a policy library
A theme from the panel was the shift from viewing parental support as a set of benefits, to viewing it as an ecosystem, one that supports people before leave, during leave, on return, and throughout the long-term parenting journey. This ecosystem includes:
- Accessible, inclusive policies
- Coaching and personalised support
- Manager capability and confidence
- Flexible working structures
- Benefits that reflect real-life pressures
- A culture of belonging where parents feel visible and valued
As people development specialist Jo Bristow emphasised, parenting challenges don’t end when children are small. Many arise years later - teenage years, neurodiversity diagnoses, financial pressures, caring for different family configurations. A sustainable approach must reflect this full arc.
Human sustainability gives us a new lens
One of the most powerful parts of the session was Jo’s explanation of our parent company Aon’s Human Sustainability Index (HSI) - a model that looks at the eight pathways that underpin long-term performance and wellbeing, such as mental health, purpose, emotional resilience, financial stability and relationships.
For parents, these often move dramatically during transitions. The HSI, which is available through NFP, gives organisations a way to:
- Understand where their people are struggling
- Prioritise interventions with the biggest impact
- Target benefits spend more effectively
- Equip managers with insight, not guesswork
It shifts parental support from a “wellbeing initiative” to “performance enabler” and can be used to complement engagement surveys, when designing learning interventions and or before or after periods of change.
Real stories, real impact
The discussion became even more grounded when the panel shared some lived experiences.
The Met Police – culture change at scale
Rhiannon walked through the six-year Met Baby programme - a combination of workshops, coaching, manager support and policy enhancement delivered by NFP Human Capital, that has supported around 1,000 people each year it has:
- Improved retention
- Expanded support to all types of parents
- Strengthened cultural inclusion around parenthood
- Informed national-level maternity pay conversations
Crucially, it has helped humanise a traditionally hierarchical environment.
Individual support with organisational impact
Jo shared the story of a senior leader who used parental coaching to:
- Advocate for proper maternity cover
- Step away confidently and enjoy leave
- Navigate her return with focus and clarity
The result? Within six months of returning, she was promoted to Director on flexible working terms, a powerful example of performance enhanced by support, not hindered by parenthood.
And the personal
NFP’s Geoff Bridger offered an honest reflection on becoming a parent himself: navigating early months with little support, returning to work too quickly, and later realising the power of coaching after he joined NFP and the impact of the support he received from his line manager to reset expectations, boundaries and confidence. Geoff also shared the wider positive impact on his family unit after his wife also received coaching to support her return to work. These stories brought the theory to life: parental support changes lives, careers and organisations.
Many organisations just need more visibility
One of the practical takeaways was that many organisations already offer useful support, but employees either don’t know about it or can’t access it easily.
Simple actions matter:
- Make policies visible without people needing to ask
- Share employee handbooks with candidates and new joiners
- Train managers to be confident, not cautious
- Audit benefits through a parental lens
- Start with a small pilot – individual coaching, a workshop, or a review – you don’t need to go big to get started
Culture shifts through consistent activities, not one-off announcements. NFP can support you on what’s right for you and your organisation.
The commercial case is clear
A recurring question from attendees was how to justify the investment. The panel were aligned:
The cost of replacing experienced talent, particularly women, is significantly higher than the cost of supporting them through parenting transitions.
Support isn’t expensive. Attrition is. Research has highlighted that 73% of new parents consider quitting after returning from leave, and 36% ultimately do so. And when a typical cost to replace a departing employee in the UK is in excess of £30,000, the commercial case is clear.
Organisations that rethink parental support outperform on:
- Retention
- Engagement
- Gender equity
- EVP
- Talent attraction
It is both the human thing to do and the strategic thing to do.
Final reflection: support isn’t about perks, it’s about sustainability
The biggest shift in mindset from the webinar?
Parental support shouldn’t be built around moments. It should be built around sustainable performance, for individuals and for the organisation. When parents are supported across their entire journey, they don’t just “return to work”. They return with purpose, resilience, belonging and ambition. That is human sustainability in action.
To watch the full recording, visit here.