Family-friendly, profit-friendly: The talent strategy businesses need

Business leaders across Jersey are being invited to attend a practical Institute of Directors Jersey event examining how organisations can better support working families while maintaining – and enhancing – productivity and profitability.

The lunch event, titled ‘Family-Friendly, Profit-Friendly: The Talent Strategy Businesses Need’, is aimed at leaders responsible for people, culture and organisational performance. Hosted by IoD Jersey’s People Leadership & Strategy Subcommittee, chaired by Lynn Cleary, and kindly sponsored by HSBC, will take place on Wednesday 10th June at the Royal Yacht Hotel & Spa, from 11:30am to 2pm.

Chair of IoD Jersey’s People Leadership & Strategy Subcommittee, Lynn Cleary stated: “Directors have a critical role in shaping workplace cultures that work for both organisations and people. Jersey’s long-term economic success depends on attracting and retaining skilled talent, and—thanks to the support of our sponsor HSBC—this event brings together local and UK expertise to show how family-friendly approaches can strengthen inclusion, retention and sustainable business growth.”

Warrick Long, Chief Executive Officer at HSBC stated: “At HSBC, we believe that inclusive and flexible workplace practices are fundamental to long-term organisational resilience, talent retention and sustainable business growth.”

Designed for directors, senior managers, HR and People professionals, and those shaping workplace strategy, the session will move beyond theory to provide evidence-based, low and no-cost approaches to retaining talent, supporting returning parents and building resilient, high-performing teams.

The event will open with keynote insights from Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive of Working Families, who will explore what ‘family-friendly’ really means in today’s workplace. Jane will highlight proven policies that reduce recruitment costs, improve retention and deliver measurable commercial benefits, drawing on real-world examples from organisations successfully embedding these approaches.

Warrick Long will also deliver a keynote perspective, sharing insights from one of the world’s largest employers on the business case for supporting working families and the practical steps organisations can take to foster flexibility, inclusion and high performance.

Kate Wright of Mentorhood, will share practical insights from her leadership experience on how organisations can better support working parents without compromising performance. She will also share the role Mentorhood plays in supporting parents and employers to build a family- friendly island community.

The session will then move into a panel discussion, offering attendees the opportunity to hear a range of perspectives from leaders across Jersey’s finance and professional services community.

The panel will feature:

• Karolina Pilcher, Senior Strategy & Research Manager at Jersey Finance, sharing insights on workforce trends, talent attraction and the evolving expectations of employees.
• Jonathan Mynes, Investment Director at Canaccord, providing an investment and leadership perspective on the commercial impact of progressive people strategies.
• Elvina Aghajanyan, Head of People at HSBC, discussing practical approaches to supporting working families within a large organisation and the role inclusive policies play in engagement and retention.
• Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive of Working Families, bringing national expertise on family-friendly employment practices and their benefits for both employees and employers.

The panel discussion will focus on the realities of balancing flexibility with performance, lessons learned from implementation, and how organisations of different sizes can adopt family-friendly approaches without compromising commercial outcomes. Attendees will also have the opportunity to put questions directly to the panel.

By the end of the session, attendees will leave with clear, actionable steps they can apply within their own organisations to strengthen employee engagement, improve retention and support long-term business success.