Burges Salmon and Bright Horizons raise the bar for family-friendly workplaces

With new statistics revealing 7 in 10 working parents in senior roles are looking for alternative employment*, UK law firm, Burges Salmon, is setting the standard for employers by providing the support working families need.

The company has now added specialist coaching for parents returning to the workplace to its list of family-friendly benefits.

Working in partnership with leading provider of Work+Family Solutions, Bright Horizons, Burges Salmon has implemented a range of new work and family policies.

These include Parental Leave Coaching to welcome employees returning from parental or adoption leave.

Employees are given four Bright Horizons coaching sessions, all of which are designed to help individuals think strategically and practically about integrating their career and family life.

100% of those who have taken part to-date felt the programme encouraged their commitment to the law firm.

“Burges Salmon provides a lot of support for women returning from

maternity leave and their commitment to ongoing support and development

is impressive and far better than other law firms,” said one employee.

“At a time when I felt most vulnerable and out of my depth, my coach was on hand to normalise those feelings and work on coping mechanisms to get me back into the working world,” said a further member of the team.

“I found the coaching incredibly helpful. Returning to work remotely as a

first-time Mum, I found I had a dip in confidence. My coach enabled me to

look at things with a different perspective and regain faith that I’d gained

more skills whilst being away from work that I can use in my role now.”

Coaching and Development is one of the key solutions provided by Bright Horizons to help businesses support employees through life's big transitions. Companies like Burges Salmon are equipped with the tools to help retain existing talent, maintain team collaboration and provide a positive experience for those returning from leave.

Robert Halton, Chief People Officer at Burges Salmon, commented:  “As an inclusive employer, we ensure that our people coming back from family leave receive the support they need to aid their successful return. Bright Horizons is a leader in this field and the feedback we receive on both the coaching experience itself and the positive impact the coaching has achieved is fantastic.”

Denise Priest, Executive Director Work + Family Solutions at Bright Horizons added: “There is a huge overlap between what happens at home and work, but connecting the two allows people from all backgrounds to flourish at work. It also addresses the urgent need for a qualified and talented workforce. Burges Salmon recognises that supporting employees' parental journeys plays a key role in helping them achieve their goals and it’s inspiring to hear the positive impact the programme has had so far.”

Burges Salmon is already widely recognised as an inclusive employer, with accolades including RollOnFriday’s “Best Law Firm to Work at 2023”.