It takes a village: three creatives on parental leave and how studios can better support new parents

“I think we can always do more to support new parents,” says Jacqueline Lane, Executive Creative Director at Canada-based design agency Whitman Emorson. Despite the boundless advancements in technology, society and workplace attitudes over the last few decades, balancing the demands of working in a design studio with the joys and challenges of parenthood remains no small feat. Following our initial exploration of parenting as a studio founder, we turn our gaze to the experiences of employees, and the question of support – both on a national level and within the studio space itself. How are studios adapting to better support their employees? How do creatives feel about the amount of support available? In Canada, for instance, maternity leave extends to both biological and surrogate mothers, offering up to 15 weeks, with an additional 35 weeks of parental benefits available. “I feel like today,” Lane continues, “parenting and being a parent has become so isolating and solitary but it really does ‘take a village.’” UnitedUs’ Strategy Partner Natalie Burns echoes this sentiment, emphasising the need for better policies. “I’m so incredibly aware of how precious parental leave is,” she says. “Not just because it’s the opportunity to get to meet this new person in your home, to discover who you are and/or need to be with them around, reintroduce yourself to your body, step into a new relationship with your partner… But because so many people don’t get to take that time.” In the UK, where UnitedUs is located, eligible employees can have up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave. The initial 26 weeks are referred to as ‘Ordinary Maternity Leave,’ while the remaining 26 weeks are known as ‘Additional Maternity Leave.’ “Compared to our US counterparts,” Burns continues, “our statutory parental leave policies look generous, but in reality, these little humans and their parents are only just getting to know each other by four months.”