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Published: 26 Aug 2016

J.P. Morgan, Finalist 2016, The Cityparents Best for All Stages of Motherhood Award

Key features

  • Comprehensive support for mothers from all grades and from day one of employment.
  • Paid-for emergency childcare support
  • Training for managers to ensure they are equipped to support women as they approach maternity leave and return from it.
  • An 18 week returners programme to support women who have had extended leave from the financial services sector.
  • Return from maternity leave rates tracked and reported at senior levels.

J.P. Morgan takes a comprehensive approach to supporting mothers at all stages of motherhood from maternity coaching to the provision of emergency childcare. Their support is offered to women of all grades and from the first day of employment.

Every employee who takes maternity leave is offered maternity coaching sessions run by an external coach. Sessions cover subjects that include the challenges of effectively managing work responsibilities alongside the demands of pregnancy and motherhood. In addition, J.P. Morgan provides a ‘maternity buddy’ who provides experienced colleague support as women approach, undertake and return from maternity leave. This is supplemented, every quarter, by a returners’ lunch attended by senior Managing Directors to reaffirm the company’s support.

Throughout the year, the company’s employee networks for women and families run a series of workshops to support mothers and fathers on topics relevant to parenting. These are employee-led and funded by the organisation. Topics covered during these events include supporting children through school examinations; managing adolescence; choosing the right university and dealing with homework.

All J.P. Morgan’s UK sites provide dedicated mothers’ lounges. The mothers’ lounge is open to all maternity returners and those who are on-site for keeping in touch days.

J.P. Morgan’s UK employees have access to an emergency childcare programme providing back-up childcare to help cover those days when usual childcare arrangements are unavailable. The first 20 days per year are free and employees will pay a nominal fee for the next 10 days.

Key to the experience that all new and returning mothers have is the support of their line manager. At J.P. Morgan, they run a 1.5 hour ‘just in time’ workshop, attended by managers when they have a pregnancy in their team. This is led by a HR Business Partner along with an experienced manager. These sessions enable knowledge sharing on policies and support, with guidance on best practice. Managers who are unable to attend or who have complex cases are offered one-on-one training with their HR Business Partner.

For mothers who have taken an extended break, J.P. Morgan run an 18-week programme specifically for women who have been out of the workforce for two or more years and have previous experience within the financial services sector. The programme has been very successful and has resulted in the entire cohort receiving permanent positions at the end of their 18-week placements.

The comprehensive programme of support for mothers has resulted in a tangible increase in the retention rates of maternity returners. This, coupled with initiatives to support working parents, has resulted in J.P. Morgan being named a Times Top 50 Employer for Women in 2016.