Championing Parental Policy Best Practice in PR
Ferzana Bham
Championing Parental Policy Best Practice in PR
When we launched PR Mums, creating a best practice charter and certification scheme was always part of our long-term vision, on the roadmap, but planned for years 3 or 4.
However, we were forced to revise this timeline almost immediately after we were inundated with a barrage of requests from agencies seeking support and guidance on how to create inclusive, family-friendly workplaces. We consistently heard the same message: “We want to do more in this area, we just don’t know where to start.”
For us, the solution was obvious: we needed to tear up the original timeline, move quickly, and prioritise our efforts to urgently identify, advocate for, and implement an industry-wide Parenting Policy Best Practice Charter.
What followed was a 6-month, 4-stage journey:
1. Industry-wide Collaboration
We brought together a representative, pan-industry Steering Group consisting of the PRCA, CIPR, Women in PR, Axicom, Fine Lines, Full Fat, Grayling, Hope & Glory, Manifest, and The Unmistakables. I’d like to take this opportunity to offer my wholehearted thanks to everyone involved—their input has been invaluable in shaping the entire framework from the ground up.
2. Comprehensive Research
To ensure we fully understood the current state of play across the industry regarding parenting policies and practices, we undertook extensive research in partnership with market-leading specialist HR platform, Platform55. The response rate was fantastic, with many hundreds of PRs taking part. The results have been instrumental in informing our approach, and I’d like to thank everyone who participated.
Download the Parental Policy White Paper here
3. Developing a Best Practice Parental Policy Charter
Responding to the research findings and in collaboration with the Steering Group and Platform55, we developed a framework for best practice across organisational policy and behaviour to drive new standards and deliver work-life balance and inclusivity in PR.
View the Best Practice Parental Policy Charter here
4. Spreading Best Practice: Launching the Certification Programme for Best Practice in Parental Policy
Words mean nothing without action. Our ultimate objective is to present the charter as an inspirational call to action, catalysing a move towards better (and then, in time, best) practice across our industry.
To this end, we have designed a certification programme to recognise and reward agencies and in-house teams that demonstrate best practice in managing and supporting a healthy work-life balance, signalling to both employees and clients a commitment to creating an inclusive and flexible workplace.
Our hope is that the PR Mums Parental Policy Best Practice Certification Scheme marks a transformative moment for our industry, setting a new standard for work-life balance and inclusivity in PR.