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Female-led startup pioneers trial of parental leave platform with NSW Government
Freya Lucas
Oct 12, 2022
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A new people management platform is revolutionising the parental leave experience of public servants employed by the Department of Regional NSW, with possible applications for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector also.
Australian startup triiyo, founded by Rebecca Grainger, is a workforce connectivity and people management platform that helps companies and organisations engage and retain employees before, during, and after leave periods like parental, carers, mental health, menopause, retirement, and more.The aim of the platform, which includes a library of resources curated by experts, is to provide a safe, proactive space for people to seek confidential advice and support anywhere.
It uses a simple, automated tool that guides managers through every step associated with complex workplace transitions such as parental leave.
Companies and organisations can upload their policies and procedures, and create community channels where employees can connect with their colleagues who are also on leave to share experiences and seek advice, an option that may be useful for ECEC operators who have services in multiple locations, states, and regions.
The resource hub covers topics that are of use for each different leave stage, and which may be challenging for managers to address, such as miscarriage and infertility, all the way through to balancing work with parenthood, and everything in between.
“We specifically designed triiyo to exist outside of company HR systems,” Ms Grainger explained, “so employees can access a safe and confidential space that ensures people get support early-on in what many employees fear are career-limiting life phases.”
Employees who opt in receive guidance and reminders with what they need to do and what they need to think about at each stage. All of the journeys are aligned to company policy and best practice, and delivered in real time – according to each individual’s personal timeline.
Donna Mcleod, Director Workforce Capability and Talent at Department of Regional NSW, said the Department looked to partner with triiyo because “we understand that life and work go hand in hand. It’s no longer you leave work to go and have a life, people are living at work and working at life”.
“So, we really want to make sure our teams have support, and that they’ve got a means of staying connected at a cadence that suits them. Being able to access information on the triiyo platform, regardless of gender, will help all parents on their journey.”
Ms Mcleod said the trial is working well, and is supporting those on leave to feel connected to their workplace.
“We have a company page on triiyo where employees can see major changes happening at the agency without having to get into the details – headlines only. If they want to know more, they can connect with their colleagues, or they can communicate with their boss and ask any questions,” she added.
Keeping employees in touch with a view to returning to work is a key focus of the platform, which is supporting managers at the Department to have “transparent conversations” about the hours they’re going to be available, about where they’re going to do the work, and about the role that they were doing before they went away on parental leave to make sure that it is adjusted to play to their strengths and capacity when they return.
“I think by not having a keeping in touch platform or not keeping in touch with parents on leave, you’re running a very real risk that these people might not engage at the end of their leave,” Ms Mcleod continued.
As part of the platform rollout, triiyo has created a best practice guide for managers who are supporting their team through parental leave, which may be accessed here.
For more information, visit the triiyo website.
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