Episode 54: Fertility at work - how to transform culture through a network: Ulf Bengtsson, Chief People Officer at British Gas and Hortense Thorpe, Fertility Ambassador at Centrica

In this special episode we hear from colleagues Ulf Bengtsson and Hortense Thorpe on their experience of changing workplace culture and support for colleague fertility. Describing their personal and professional journeys, Ulf and Hortense share the steps they took to build the support and approach to fertility that Centrica has today, how personal stories became a business case. Advocating for the power of networks and Employee Resource Groups, Ulf and Hortense call on us to bring our passions to work, and to be curious – to have open minded conversations with colleagues – not for a specific reason – just to chat. Here’s a snapshot of a few things we talked about: [3.00] Hortense and Ulf’s personal experience and why they created a Fertility Employee Resource Group [8.30] Starting with a story and a digital, social network [11:20] Leadership roles: C-suite buy in [17:45] 4 elements to creating Fertility support, and starting with passion and openness [22:15] The power of a network [29:00] Present the case for what you’re passionate about and being curious [31:50] Creating change: spend a couple of ours in a network and encourage openness            Referenced resources Cutting Edge Parental & Family Leave Policy and Practice “I love How HR Leaders Change the World” – if that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing our show! This helps us achieve our goal, to reach more of your peers, so we can all contribute to further and faster change. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review”. Be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. We’ll add a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow How HR Leaders Change the World today!