Speaker Feature ft. Katherine Proffitt
We caught up with Katherine Proffitt for a quick chat before her appearance as a guest speaker at our upcoming event ‘Beyond Policy: how workplace flexibility supports parents after pregnancy loss’. She speaks about the importance of supporting baby loss/ miscarriage in the workplace and who would benefit from attending this session.
Katherine is a qualified nurse, coach, and English language teacher with over a decade of experience in the NHS, specializing in early pregnancy and women’s health.
Event details:
Date: 2nd April
⏰ Time: 11:30 AM
📍 Location: Zoom (the link will appear once you RSVP)
Why is it so important to look beyond policy when supporting baby loss/ miscarriage in the workplace?
Policy is clear-cut, it's unambiguous, it's consistent. Baby loss is far from that. Of course, the initial procedures, policies, and protocols for someone's absence and return to work after pregnancy loss are vital, but the long-term impact of pregnancy loss can sometimes be as traumatic as the initial event. It is therefore essential we look beyond policy to ensure our employees are supported in their long-term wellbeing, and that there is no expectation that someone will experience pregnancy loss, take their allocated leave, and then be back to normal. There is no guidebook for someone grieving the loss of their baby, and workplaces need to reflect this in the support and flexibility they offer to their staff.
“There is no guidebook for someone grieving the loss of their baby, and workplaces need to reflect this in the support and flexibility they offer to their staff.”
Who should attend the session?
Anyone who works with people will gain something from this session, it is not restricted to leaders and HR professionals. Pregnancy loss could affect any one, so if you wish to improve your ability to support your colleagues and employees, please do consider attending.
What do you hope attendees will leave with?
An awareness of the longer-term impacts of pregnancy loss, some ideas as to how workplaces can be more flexible in supporting parents, and a greater appreciation of the unpredictability of grief.
MotherBoard is a Business Charter, Community & Event Series, driving tangible change for mums working in the tech industry.
Interested in getting involved? Become a signatory today