Becoming a parent is an exciting and overwhelming time in people’s lives. Returning from parental leave may raise concerns about how to balance careers and family life. Medibank works with its employees to make sure that their journey with the business works well with their life outside of it. As new parents, Steve Naumcevski and his wife Ane, who both work with Medibank, have experienced strong support from the company before, during and after they became new parents to their little boy, Oscar.
As the company strongly supports flexibility, Digital Service Customer Support Team Leader Steve and Digital Service Consultant Ane have been able to arrange their work hours in a way that works for them and their new family.
“I work flex hours in the evenings from Monday to Wednesday, as well as every second Saturday. This set up has been great as Steve is able to work fixed hours and then take over parenting duties at night, which is when I then start work!” says Ane.
For Steve, being a part of a company that allows for such flexibility has been a significant help to them as a new family.
“Our work arrangements allow me to go home and look after Oscar while Ane works her shift. This has meant everything to us. With FlexBetter, we’re able to have careers whilst also carrying out our most important job – being parents to our son.”
Steve with his little Oscar.
Sometimes returning to work after parental leave brings some unexpected changes. This could be team changes and new role appointments. Whatever it may be, it can be a worrying time for those returning from leave. Luckily for Steve and Ane, they both had and still have access to Medibank’s FlexBetter along with a supportive team, who worked with them to help find a balance that works for them.
“When it was time for me to look into coming back to work, I was very nervous as I didn’t know what to expect in terms of hours because I knew that I wasn’t looking to return full-time. However, once we did explain our circumstances to our leaders, they were very accommodating and it was an extremely smooth process from then on,” Ane says.
“Being a first-time mum, it’s really important to me that I don’t miss a lot of time away from my little one. I want to be there for his new milestones and watch him grow every single day.”
Steve agrees, saying they’ve both been very lucky to be a part of a company that not only understands the importance of work/life balance but encourages it.
Oscar and his mummy Ane.
“We’ve been very lucky with the leaders that we have and that teams that we’re a part of. They listened to our personal circumstances and worked with us to come up with a schedule that not only suits our new family but is also sustainable from a business perspective,” he says.
“Medibank and FlexBetter have really given Ane and I the chance to succeed in both our careers and our roles as parents, which are both incredibly important to us. Employees are treated extremely well, which has helped us on this amazing journey!”