Welcome Back Jennie!
Nothing demonstrates how quickly time flies than a child’s first year – something STORY22’s Marketing Manager, Jennie, can attest to as she returns to work after a year on Maternity Leave.
A lot can change in that time! Over the last 12 months, STORY22 has been shortlisted for a variety of awards, celebrated their 3rd (soon to be 4th!) birthday, welcomed 6 new members of their team (7 if you include the baby kind!), and grown their wonderful client list. It’s been a super busy period with lots of exciting new projects, so they are thrilled to welcome Jennie back into the fold after a year away.
First class service, without compromising on family
As a fairly new business, Jennie was STORY22’s first employee to need Maternity Leave. As a company Co-Founded by women, and one with several parents on the team, providing an inclusive working environment for those with families has been of the utmost importance to the business.
Finding the right balance between work and family life is integral to the ethos of STORY22, so it has been vital for their workplace policies to reflect this. It’s something they take seriously and is in large part the reason they made a commitment to running a completely flexible working arrangement from the inception of the business back in 2020.
Co-Founder Julie Firth said, “We know our team work hard, but that shouldn’t mean compromising on how they show up for their families.
Our team manage their own time, delivering a first-class service for our clients while still managing to be at the school gates to collect their children or be at that football game when they want to be.”
A commitment to family-friendly policies
It’s this commitment to fostering an environment where employees feel their family life is respected just as much as the professional life that STORY22 believes creates a happier workforce – especially during a time that can be uncertain for many new parents.
Speaking on her return to paid work, Jennie said, “Finding out I was pregnant was such an exciting time, but as is the nature of pregnancy, there were also times of worry and uncertainty. As a soon-to-be mum, of course you have questions about how things are going to work out once your baby arrives. I was lucky enough to work somewhere that was supportive of families, specifically working mums, and that made this period much easier.
Knowing I didn’t need to worry about fitting into rigid schedules in a strict 9-5, or returning to an environment that was hostile to my new family life made the run up to my son’s arrival and my maternity leave a lot more enjoyable. I know not every new parent is quite so lucky.
I have loved having a full year away from work to focus on my son while also staying up to date with the business and our clients through my Keeping in Touch Days – a nice toe dip into the working world while otherwise fully immersed in ‘mum mode! I’m excited to be back with the team and to sink my teeth into some meaty projects for some amazing clients, while also learning my new role of the world’s best juggling act!”
Please join us in extending a very warm welcome back to Jennie.
