return to work

Employee Benefits poll: Almost two-fifths (37%) of respondents do not offer a return-to-work or recruitment programme.

A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 27 responses, found that 19% of employers do provide a return-to-work or recruitment programme specifically tailored towards supporting carers and parents upon their entry back into the workplace. A further 19% offer these programmes aimed at individuals looking to re-join work after a career break.

Around one in 10 (11%) provide a return-to-work or recruitment programme to help staff who are entering or re-entering the workplace.

A minority (7%) do not provide a formal return-to-work programme, instead offering mentoring. An additional 7% do not know what support their organisation makes available in this area.

In January 2019, UK hotel chain Travelodge launched a new recruitment programme specifically designed to help parents re-enter the workplace.

The programme enables successful candidates to take advantage of flexible working hours, training, coaching from a work buddy and online careers advice, all tailored for parents going back to work.

New starters will also have access to the organisation’s benefits package, which includes discounted hotel stays, and will be able to join Travelodge’s management programme, Aspire.

Organisations that have used similar programmes over the last year include Pepsico, which instigated a paid returner programme in June 2018, and EY, which introduced its return-to-work initiative as part of its approach to tackling the gender pay gap.

Is your organisation thinking about reporting its ethnicity pay data? Tell us in our newest poll...