Kasey Zun, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Ashurst, is a firm believer that working parents and caregivers should not be in a position to choose which area of life they wish to excel in – career or home. A true trailblazer, Kasey’s team partnered with Circle In to set up their workforce for success at home and at work.

Tell us about why you saw a need for Circle In?
At Ashurst, we wanted to ensure that our working parents had a range of tools and resources to support them both in their roles within our firm but more importantly in their roles as parents. What was clear to us was that the experience for our working parents was not consistent especially in the ‘staying in touch’ component of the parental leave journey. Circle In offered us a platform where we could ensure that a consistent approach could be applied.

Ensuring a consistent parental leave experience
We wanted to ensure that our employees had a positive parental leave experience that was consistent whilst maintaining a strong relationship between our people and their manager. While we are a global firm, we found ourselves operating on a regional and local basis with our approach to working parents. Circle In were open to our ideas and as such, we became Circle In’s first client to launch their programme on a global scale so that all Ashurst employees could benefit from it.

Building a business case
We had already identified the challenges we were facing and were actively looking at ways to improve the ‘staying in touch’ journey for our people; so we had a strong business case to begin with given the had been identified. Circle In offered a fresh approach by not only focusing on the employee and individual experience but also engaging our people leaders and make the ‘staying in touch’ programme something that was front of mind during the parental leave journey and beyond.  

An incredibly straightforward and organised on-boarding and launch process. 
We were told exactly what was needed but likewise, Circle In were more than willing to adapt and change focus based on our requirements.

Employee feedback and impact to-date
Very positive. Many have commented on the quality of information available on the portal and how helpful the tools and resources have been in assisting them across various stages of their parental leave journey.

We have had a strong impact around how our employees view our commitment to supporting working parents. By launching a global programme like this, it has reinforced to our people how important we view their role as parents and how Ashurst recognise that we have a role to play in ensuring they have a range of tools and support available to assist them.

What do you most love about the offering?
The manager nudges! This is a really unique offering and whilst we hope that our people leaders are engaging with those parents who are on leave, it is always nice to have a little reminder available to them!

The importance of investing in working parents
Working parents are a large proportion of a company’s employee group – it’s imperative that we support and invest in them so that they can feel empowered to manage their careers and caring responsibilities. We shouldn’t be in a position where you can only have success in one of these aspects, we need to create an environment where you can thrive in both. Investing in our working parents will ensure that we continue to build that inclusive and supportive culture within Ashurst.

A great return on investment
Absolutely – you are not just investing in the development and launch of your portal, you are investing in establishing an ongoing relationship with Circle In who will support your organisation to create a culture where working parents will thrive.

Finish this sentence: Circle In is…a game changer for working parents.