According to 2023 research released by the federal government, the so-called ‘motherhood penalty’ can negatively impact the overall salaries of working mothers by up to $2 million during their working life. It’s a frightening figure, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Melbourne-based company Circle In offers practical, user-friendly solutions to organisations and their employees to help retain working mums. And it goes much further than that. An online platform, Circle In is tailored to all working caregivers and their employers, providing on-demand access to expert advice for every life stage through tailor-made research, coaching and tools so everyone feels supported and connected.
Circle In began with a 2am lightbulb moment when co-founder Jodi Geddes was feeding her baby and mentally compiling online resources to offer friends and colleagues to help them survive as working parents. She shared her thoughts with friend Kate Pollard, who was experiencing similar anxieties about her own return to work.
“We were both working in large corporates that had very generous paid parental leave, so when we went off it was fine, but the return to work really challenged us,” says Kate. “We’d really underestimated the impact of not being connected to the workplace, it felt like you’d been on another planet. You lose all your networks, your career momentum, but worst of all you lose your confidence when you go back to work.”
Both had successful careers – Kate with Accenture and Commonwealth Bank in Sydney and Jodi with Visa – before they met while working with National Australia Bank in Melbourne, and further connected over the struggle to return to work following the birth of their first child.
“We knew there had to be a better way and with a bit of fire in our bellies we set out making it better for people who followed behind us.”
Circle In was founded in 2017 and launched to corporates in 2018. Today, the digital-first employee benefits platform for caregiving employees and their managers offers tools and resources for workers juggling all life stages and the tricky conversations that can surround them, from canvassing parental leave with your employer to your return to work, caring for aged parents, menopause or losing a family member. Early clients included L’Oreal and Medibank, soon joined by Coca-Cola Amatil and Estée Lauder.
Today, Circle In is used by 75 companies globally and has supported 250,00 families from Australia to the UK, Europe and the US.
It is about creating a culture of connection and care that helps both employers and their team navigate life’s challenges. “Our research shows 97% of managers have supported a team member navigate a personal issue, yet 8 in 10 managers haven’t received any training when it comes to supporting their teams through personal issues,” Jodi told SmartCompany in 2023.
The platform provides bespoke tools for both managers and their employees, such as regular email ‘nudges’ with conversation guides for managers whose employee is about to go on parental leave, continuing through the period of leave, and preparing for their return.
“Your manager will follow a plan about your parental leave [created from a template you’ve completed], maybe checking in with monthly updates, then leading up to the return we nudge them to chat about the return to work and what that might look like in terms of number of days or a slower return, things that can help someone transition back; then a check-in once you’re back to see if it’s working.”
The platform contains real-life stories from all working parents including solo mums and LGBTQI+ parents, with all content created in-house from experts on topics ranging from menopause to stillbirth; while a partnership with Parent TV provides short videos on various parenting challenges people may face at home. The most-searched topics include menopause, burnout, autism, miscarriage, and ADHD.
The cost varies depending on the size of the company, with the average subscription costing $28,000 p.a., enabling unrestricted access for every employee.
“It’s not only about supporting parents to maintain their career confidence and momentum but also to help their managers provide more empathy and care as parents navigate these big life transitions,” says Kate, noting many employers now reference Circle In in their recruitment process as proof of a positive workplace.
Circle In has expanded from its two co-founders to 20 staff and is currently focussing on scaling globally and rolling out its latest offering, Well – a Microsoft Teams tool to help teams build empathy, avoid burnout and feel supported.
Seven years since they began, these female co-founders are pleased to see Circle In’s steady take-up, alongside a growing number of fellow female founders.
“There’s been a big change, there’s much more of a conversation around the need to proactively support females, because there are inherent biases,” says Kate, giving a nod to Alberts Impact Ventures and SBE Australia for their ongoing support.
As part of Alberts Impact Venture’s focus on equality – one of four key impact areas we invest in – AIV led a $2m raise for Circle In in April 2023. With care responsibilities disproportionately affecting a well-defined part of women’s life from motherhood to parental care, Circle In’s product focuses on the bigger picture of growing the support structures around employees, enabling them to flourish by helping them balance care and work.
In line with year’s UN International Women’s Day examining pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and girls through the theme ‘Count her in. Invest in women. Accelerate progress,’ AIV recognises that by investing in companies that create and support change, we have an opportunity to promote equality and build support for greater investment in female-identifying founders.
“We’ve met some amazing people: the founders of Keep It Cleaner, Pleasant State and Planet Protector; and female founders like Kristy Chong from Modibody who has gone from scaling her business to exiting,” notes Kate.
“Just incredible, some pretty amazing people and incredible businesses.”
(Feature image of Circle In co-founders Jodi Geddes [left] and Kate Pollard courtesy of Circle In/Sister Scout).
