Case Study: Women Returners - Accenture

The Maternity Returners Programme was set up in September 2005 to increase not only the maternity return rate, but also the numbers who are still working for Accenture one year later.

The Programme includes:

• Improved checklists for HR representatives, career counsellors and line managers to ensure clear, sensitive two way communication with an employee before during and after their return to work
• A ‘New and Expectant Parents’ brochure with information on the company’s family friendly policies, such as, maternity/paternity policies, seminars for parents, salary sacrifice for childcare/vouchers, flexible working, career choices and external support organisations
• A working parents website, including an interactive discussion board
• A celebration returners lunch for parents
• A Pre-Maternity Leave workshop to allow staff to research their options and hear about the experiences of other working mothers in the company, facilitated by senior working parents
• Fertility Treatment Policy which allows staff to take an additional 10 days leave for those either going through the treatment or supporting a partner

The Maternity Returners Programme is now well established. Accenture runs five Pre-Maternity Workshops a year, distributes New Parents brochures to all expectant parents, and holds five seminars each year on parenting related topics The company has recently begun a series of post-maternity lunches for returning mothers to celebrate their returns. In addition, the company also runs an annual ‘Bring your Children to Work Day’ in April each year.

Within each business area Accenture has champions who sponsor this work and who are responsible for education and training.

Accenture profiles role models through company newsletters to reinforce best practice. The company also ran an external advertising campaign targeted at women with the strapline "Working mothers may be the only people who know more about high performance than we do".

The maternity returners rate has increased from 75% to more than 90% within the first year of the programme. Employee satisfaction survey results also suggest that those who are working flexibly have 3% higher results than their colleagues who are not. Feedback from those about to go on maternity leave show that they are very happy with the level of information and support they have received from the company.

Contact Points

Susie Mullan  HR Director & Diversity