ABSTRACT
The mentoring programme operates on a self-select basis and is accessed by means of a web page within the Organisational and Staff Development section of the main Imperial College (IC) website. The site hosts details of the programme and individual mentor profiles. The scheme is further supported by an informal buddy system that connects staff pre- and post maternity leave and also has input from an external coaching provider who leads workshops pre- and post maternity for new and expectant parents. The survey covered maternity returners who had taken maternity or adoption leave between July 2008 and July 2012. One hundred ninety two staff responded, which represented an astonishing 85 percent return rate. A low cost business with large numbers of employees taking maternity leave across many levels may view internal mentoring as more a cost-effective and sustainable solution, by up-skilling the internal resource that is their own group of working parents and mentors.
