How Does Tribal Impact Support Pregnant Employees?

When Emma Butterworth started at Tribal Impact in August 2020, she already had a 2-year-old. Taking on the position of Growth Co-ordinator allowed her to work part-time, remotely, and still be present for her child.

Now, Emma is currently 31 weeks pregnant, and due to go on maternity leave very soon. However, unlike many employees across the world, she doesn’t have any concerns about job security or pressure to return.

For some, telling their employer about being an expectant parent could cause a lot of anxiety and dread, especially when you factor in that ‘pregnant’ was the second most common keyword in a study regarding what employees query about their employers.

Tribal Impact strives to make employees feel comfortable and even encourages them to pursue their dreams of becoming parents. After all, a happy and fulfilled employee is likely to excel more within their role.

Previous Experience

Emma’s initial story is fairly similar to that of countless women. Working in a nursery, her first pregnancy was shadowed by the pure exhaustion that comes with spending 50 hours each week on your feet looking after small children. Even on days, Emma should have been resting, she felt compelled to help out if other members of the team were absent. On top of this, the responsibilities that came with her role meant that having a lunch break was quite a rare occurrence.

Life At Tribal Impact

Thankfully, her second pregnancy completely contrasts with her first. If Emma needs to attend an appointment, look after her now-3-year-old, or even have some time to herself due to pregnancy fatigue, it is granted. No questions asked. This means that Emma’s self-care needs are met, and she can try to enjoy her pregnancy that bit more.

At times, Emma isn’t able to work during normal hours. Her three-year-old might be unwell, or she simply wants that quality time with him. Working a set number of hours, but whenever she likes throughout the day, suits her far better than a rigid working schedule.

Announcing Pregnancy

Telling the team that she was expecting a baby was a joyful and exciting experience for Emma. She felt she gained a lot of support from everyone, managers included. Within this, she was also encouraged to take her holiday entitlement as well, to give her more time with her family. If not, the team at Tribal decided to simply store it for her return, rather than it being lost entirely.

Plans For The Future

Emma might be going on maternity leave soon, but that doesn’t mean she’s been discounted from meetings. Her colleagues at Tribal still include her in discussions about future meetings, and even offer for her to participate if she so chooses. Realistically, we are also fully aware that they will be looking for any excuse to meet the newest member of Emma’s family.

Final Thoughts

Working may be essential for you to be able to survive, but that doesn’t mean it should consume your whole life. A business shouldn’t make you feel like you are a bad employee simply because you’d like to start your own family. One of the best things that Emma, and others, have found about working for Tribal Impact can be the support you receive. Living your life, your way, can help to positively affect your work-life balance.