IES signs the Employer with Heart 2.0 charter
28 Sep 2023
IES has signed The Smallest Things’ Employer with Heart 2.0 charter, which enables the parents of premature babies to take extended parental leave. Sarah Bridger, Head of HR at IES said: "IES is proud to become an Employer with Heart and sign up to Smallest Things' charter. We are keen to actively support our colleagues in all aspects of family life and understand the huge impact a premature birth can have on parents and their families. This commitment will give parents precious time when it’s needed most and ensure our colleagues feel supported throughout the early stages of parenthood.”
Catriona Ogilvy, Chair and Founder of The Smallest Things said: "We are delighted that the Institute for Employment Studies has signed up to our newly updated Employer with Heart 2.0 charter, giving staff whose babies are born prematurely the extra time they need to be with their baby in hospital and parents the time they need to recover and bond with their baby when they come home.
These changes will mean so much to staff at the Institute for Employment Studies, giving them the emotional and financial support they need at a time of great stress and trauma. No parent should be sitting next to an incubator or neonatal cot worrying about work and pay. The Smallest Things have long campaigned for extended leave for neonatal parents and we hope that more employers follow the Institute for Employment Studies lead by making changes now, going above and beyond new statutory entitlements likely to be available to families from 2024/2025 as part of the new Neonatal (Leave and Pay) Care Bill."
The Smallest Things is asking employers to support parents and carers of premature babies by extending paid parental leave and signing up to the Employer with Heart 2.0 Charter. IES encourages other employers to follow their lead and sign up to support employees going through what is invariably a stressful and traumatic experience. For more information about the charter visit: www.thesmallestthings.org/employer-with-heart
