Paula Dunne is the head of diversity and employee engagement at the Spanish bank Santander in the UK. In her article for the British HR Magazine website, she recently described ways the bank seeks to support its talent. A lot of attention is currently being paid primarily to the corporate program for employees on parental leave. "At Santander UK over 60% of our staff are women, so it is important that we offer a broad range of options designed to appeal to working mums. We must also help them settle back into their jobs as quickly and as smoothly as possible after returning from maternity leave," writes Paula Dunne.
Santander offers support to both mothers and fathers before the birth of their child, during their parental leave as well as after their return to work. The support includes childcare courses, relaxation activities, flexible work scheduling or the popular British benefit called "childcare vouchers" - non-cash benefit that can only be used to pay for childcare. A pilot mentoring program, intended to maintain contact between parents on parental leave and their working colleague,s has just been launched. The mentors are being chosen from among employees who have already experienced parenthood.
The policy to support parents at Santander UK is a part of a wider three year corporate diversity program based on the commitment to gender diversity by the international Santander Group. In addition to supporting women on maternity leave, the policy also seeks to find more opportunities for women in management positions. Four key roles in top management at Santander UK are currently held by women, including a woman CEO.
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