The Working Families and Caregivers ERG has made a number of significant achievements since its formation. We spoke with its Chair, Ginette Fraher-Vernon, about the group and the role. 

“As a group, we have people involved from right across the organisation, including Healthcare Support Workers and board representation, and that’s really positive. We meet monthly via Teams. 

“The law in relation to flexible working changed in April, and that meant that we had to update our policies. We have been supporting people with applications for flexible working, helping them navigate the process and providing support. 

“We hope that we can showcase that we can retain colleagues effectively due to flexible working. A lot has changed in how people want and need to work. People want to have a better work/life balance. We need to understand that as an employer if we want to retain colleagues. We are still gathering data on the impact. 

“As a mum of four, I understand personally the need to juggle and that to do that, we need support around us in the workplace. We are also encouraging managers to ask at the interview if there are any flexible working requirements – with the implementation of the new law, people can request it from day one. We don’t want to onboard a person and then not be able to accommodate their needs. We want to be open and transparent. 

“There can be challenges, of course, in trying to manage requests, depending on a person’s role. It can be a bit like a jigsaw. We need to support managers on what good practice can look like. We have responsibilities in making sure we have the right skill mix, for example. 

“And we also have to make sure people understand that we sometimes can’t accommodate everything. So it’s about supporting people to have those trickier conversations. 

“Throughout the year, we’ve advocated for the flexible working policy. We have also tried to support families alongside the wellbeing incentives that are on offer at sites, by also sharing money-saving tips and financial support. We’ve gathered data and shared good practices from across the company, and from that, we’re creating a comprehensive database of best practices to identify where things could be better. We’ve worked closely to help shape the future of employee benefits. And we have been working towards establishing a standardised process for managers to apply and record flexible working requests. 

“The feedback is people tell us they’re feeling listened to and supported and understood, particularly carers. It’s often the carers who are more reluctant to talk about their caring responsibilities, and they’re feeling more supported to ask for what they need. 

“We have clear goals set for this year and beyond to grow the group, to celebrate success and continue to improve retention. By working towards these goals, the Working Families and Caregivers ERG will continue to drive positive change and create a more supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment for all employees.”