One of the core Monzo values is helping everyone belong. From the time someone joins, to the time they leave, we want our team to feel included and supported. And that means being there for all the things that can happen to them along the way.
That's why we've introduced special policies like our caregiver leave, offering paid maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave, if you’ve been with us for at least 13 weeks. And up to six days of leave per year for fertility treatments to support Monzonauts in their family planning.
And in 2021, we became the first bank in the UK to introduce dedicated policies of additional paid leave for colleagues who suffer from pregnancy loss or who are undergoing fertility treatments.
Since 2018, the number of parents at Monzo has increased 7%. So it's more important than ever for us to make sure we're giving them all the support we can.
We had a chat with parents across Monzo to hear their experiences, and we'd like to share some of them.
Aris Catsambas, Senior Special Projects Manager
People here care about the work you do, not the hours in which you do it. There's no concept of 'face time'. So I can log on late when I need to drop off the kids at nursery, or disconnect early if I need to pick them up.
People are always understanding and flexible when childcare interferes with work. As parents know, kids get ill all the time, and I've often had to drop out of meetings last minute to look after them. My colleagues and managers have always supported me in doing this. This means that although managing work and childcare can be exhausting, at Monzo it's as easy as it can be for a parent!
Morvialee Omoyinmi, Internal Audit Manager
When I dropped my son off for his first day at boarding school, I promised him that I would always be present and I was just a phone call away. Starting at Monzo, I was really nervous to explain to my manager that my son has weekly sports matches, exeats and random functions during the term which would require me to sometimes not be available.
After my first week of onboarding in my role, I had a one-to-one with my manager and shared with him my parenthood demands but explained that it woudn't affect my work. To my surprise, they said “that’s cool, I went to boarding school as well so we always had weird holidays too! You do whatever you need to do and I'm happy to support where you want me to”.
Monzo supported me with flexible working, autonomy over my workload, updating my Slack status rather than having to ask for permission. I have a great manager who is an advocate for prioritising mental health and family time.
Parents often feel like there isn’t much support at work and but working at Monzo has helped me to achieve work-life-parenthood harmony guilt free and it feels great!!
Neil Mckeown, Director of Product Marketing
There's a great slack channel for #parents. Whilst I've not posted in the channel, there are regular discussions, not only for Monzo-specific parenting questions but general parenting advice.
I've found really useful discussions there, such as chats on mealtimes and sleeping habits. It’s really great to see parenting and the challenges discussed so openly without any judgement.
Tom Tinel, Technical Recruiter
Monzo offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to when I can and want to work. That means I can block time in my calendar for school drop off and pick ups and get to share these important moments with my family.
Monzo is great at recognising that kids and family are more important than work. So they'll encourage you to take time off to look after your kids if they're unwell and reassure you that the team have your back and will cover your work.
Aafke Beukema, Quality Assurance Engineer
I went on maternity leave in March 2019, when we were still a relatively small company. Within the product part of the company I was one of the first pregnant people to take parental leave, so I didn't really know what to expect or how to organise everything.
Leaving was really easy. We started hiring a cover for me as soon as I announced my pregnancy, and we were planning to grow my team anyway so we didn't have to look for a maternity cover specifically. I was able to hand all my work over in time, and I was able to take it a bit easier around the time that I was very pregnant. Coming back was in all honesty was a shock to the system. I has expected to just pick up where I left off, but it wasn't like that at all. The company had grown and changed so much that I had left a caterpillar behind and returned to work for a butterfly.
I had underestimated how fast things move in a fast growing company, and in hindsight I should've spent a bit more time discussing the future of my goals and progression before returning to work. I'm going on maternity leave again for the second time in a couple of months and I'll make sure to have a proper chat with my manager a month or so before I return to work.
In terms of juggling parenting and working for Monzo, that change has been really amazing. I ended up working compressed hours - 10 hour days Monday to Thursday, so I can spend Fridays with my son. In general Monzo is very relaxed with days off and flexible working, so I really feel very safe working here knowing that Monzo has got my back when I need to sign off and take care of my family.
Vicky Sievewright, Senior Collections Manager
A hybrid model has been amazing for me as a mummy of a little person. It means I can finish work and have mealtime together as a family instead of commuting home every day and stealing a kiss or cuddle before bedtime. Those extra couple of hours are so precious as they grow up and change so fast.
Monzo have really supported me being a mum. I joined during the pandemic, my first permanent job since having my little boy and the flexibility & support has been incredible. I have been able to attend important appointments for my little one as I am working at home and able to, and even steal a cuddle at lunch time when he’s being looked after at home - which makes the world of difference. I feel blessed to have an employer like Monzo genuinely care about me as a mum!
Firoozeh Saiepour, Backend Engineer
I have two school children and also work full time. However as both my children go to school now, I'm in a stage in my career/family life that I want to focus on my career progression.
I'm very glad that in my team there are other ambitious parents and I'm being offered the same opportunities as everybody else to progress in my career, which is refreshing to see!
You can learn more about working at Monzo, and the benefits we offer, head over on our careers page.