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Webinar Dates
January 20
March 31
May 26
September 22
November 17
“WHEN WE FIRST LAUNCHED
THE SPECIAL PARENTS
NETWORK, WE DIDN’T REALLY
KNOW HOW VALUABLE IT
WOULD BE. BUT NOW, IT IS
ONE OF OUR MOST ACTIVE AND
THRIVING EMPLOYEE RESOURCE
GROUPS, NATIONALLY.”
– ELIZABETH REYNOLDS, MANAGER, DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION, KPMG CANADA
to their annual employee demographic census to determine if
their employees had dependent care responsibilities for children,
special needs children or aging parents. This allowed them to design
relevant programs and resources. Second, in January 2010,
they established an employee resource group for parents of special
needs children.
“When we first launched the Special Parents Network, we
didn’t really know how valuable it would be,” said Reynolds. “But
now, it is one of our most active and thriving employee resource
groups, nationally.”
The network is comprised of employees from across Canada
who have a monthly call with a guest speaker. For example, they
recently had an internal speaker discuss setting up a trust for your
child, and they had an external guest speaker who discussed how
to advocate for your child at his or her school.
Spreadbury has been the chair of the Special Parents Network
since Oct. 2013. He says the network is open and includes everyone
from senior partners to first-year junior associates. Part of the
value of the network is sharing experiences and lessons learned.
“For example, people in the network will share where they went
on vacation with their child, what accommodations they requested
and received, what worked and what didn’t,” he said. “You get practical
advice and learn from each other.”
The Special Parents Network and its support has made a big
difference in Spreadybury’s life.
“Every employee has to balance work and life,” he said. “The
beauty of a company providing flexibility and support for parents
like me is you don’t feel like you have to break new ground at work.
There’s a policy and a process in place. So, I’m able to be very open
about it and know that it’s not going to be held against me or affect
me adversely at work. That alleviates a lot of worries I would otherwise
have to deal with.”
These stories show the impact that flex policies and resources
could have in enhancing performance and engagement. ■
Cathy Gallagher-Louisy leads CIDI’s Research and Knowledge
Services portfolio.
30 ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL