Mums and Maven: Being a Working Parent is Made Easy at Workday
I joined Workday about six years ago, just as I was finishing up my university studies in France and looking for an opportunity in the U.K. I’ve been here ever since with my partner, and now my three-year-old son. My family takes up the majority of my time outside of work — I’m always organising playdates or finding activities to do together.
My job at Workday has been great for my lifestyle as a working parent. I’m a Senior Benefits Analyst now, and the support I’ve received over the last six years has been personal as well as professional. Employee wellbeing is a priority at Workday. The support I have leaned on most is Maven, which is an amazing benefit provided by Workday that guides you through every step of your journey with parenthood and building a family. It’s been an absolute godsend!
More About Maven
Maven offers comprehensive care, both online and offline, for anyone planning, starting, and raising a family. Workday employees, our partners and any dependent children (up to age 26) receive unlimited resources, appointments and messaging through Maven at no cost.
Whether you’re planning your fertility journey now or in the future, thinking about ways to grow your family through adoption or surrogacy, or fine-tuning the balance between work and family life, Maven is your personal guide to parenthood. I initially started using it at the beginning of my pregnancy. I spoke to a Maven expert to understand what support would be available in the first few months, what behaviour to adopt during pregnancy, what food supplements I should be taking and so on — basically what I should and shouldn’t do!
Then, six months into my pregnancy, the pandemic struck. It was a stressful time to be navigating pregnancy and parenthood in the midst of a lockdown, but Maven was my biggest support.
Navigating the Highs and Lows of Parenthood
During that first lockdown, there was no easy access to care and all hospital classes for new parents were cancelled. I became much more reliant on Maven’s services and started meeting (virtually) more and more with Maven’s Doulas, breastfeeding experts and paediatricians.
Then when my son was born, I was in constant communication with Maven. It really saved me. With the sleepless nights, the struggle to breastfeed and general lack of support due to the pandemic, any questions or concerns we had about taking care of our newborn were quickly and reassuringly answered by the Maven team.
More recently, I spoke to one of their child therapists to help me navigate the ‘Terrible Twos’. Again, the expert was fantastic and the cherry on the cake is that she spoke my native language (French), which made the conversation much easier. I came out of my call with practical tools to help us when my son is feeling overwhelmed and has too many emotions he can’t quite manage just yet.
Returning to Work was Smooth with Workday’s Support
Coming back to work after my maternity leave was a bit of a struggle at first, to which I’m sure a lot of people can relate. The good thing about doing it during Covid was that it was 100% remote so I could still be at home, near my son.
However, even once back in the office, the transition continued to be smooth. I am fortunate enough to have a manager who allowed me to begin with part-time hours (two days a week), and when my son started nursery, my manager and team agreed to my request to work compressed hours at work four days a week. This has given me Fridays off to spend entirely with my son. I would advise any new parents to simply speak to your manager and colleagues about the challenges you’re having — you’ll be surprised by how understanding they can be.
If I ever need to book time off because my son is sick or something else is going on, it’s not a problem at Workday. I’ve also been making use of our complimentary online telehealth service, which has been particularly helpful when my son is unwell and I need advice on the best course of action. In all, I just always feel supported at Workday when life happens, and everything feels much easier and more manageable as a result! If you’re a working parent, working parent-to-be, or plan to grow your family in the future, consider Workday! Your days are brighter here.
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