FPR urges recruitment firms to embrace working parents

The recruitment industry can vastly improve consultant retention by doing more to properly accommodate working parents, with particular emphasis being placed on working mothers ñ this was the view of HR experts from top city firms convened in a dedicated April roundtable by the Forum of Professional Recruiters (FPR).

The outcomes have come to light at a time when some 30,000 women are thought to be sidelined each year after telling their bosses they plan to take maternity leave.* In an industry which is known to suffer from high level skills shortages, but is also heavily results orientated, the FPR has long-backed the importance of offering realistic solutions to parents, particularly to mothers wishing to return to work after maternity leave.

Feedback from the seminar is that HR directors of recruitment firms are keen to promote the opportunities that exist for home working and desk sharing for both sales and support staff, on the grounds that hard-earned industry expertise is just too costly to replace.

In addition, Forum members in attendance also considered the value to recruitment firms of expanding the breadth of services offered to working parents in-house, such as the introduction of crche facilities. However caution was also expressed over whether a sales based environment could automatically lend itself to flexible working policies ñ a barrier that needs to be carefully overcome.

Tara Ricks, Chair of the Forum commented,

ìWorking parents within the recruitment industry face a number of hurdles when returning to work, which is surprising given the struggles many recruiters face when trying to find good candidates. Firms are certainly well advised to take the issue more seriously, not least with the long-term survival of their businesses in mind but also given their legal obligations to keep jobs open. Looking after staff, is the only sure-fire way to be sure that a business can continue to prosper.î

The Forum of Professional Recruiters holds a series of informative meetings for career professionals within the recruitment industry. For more information visit the website: