Beyond parental leave: how family support connects to gender equity at Publicis Sapient UK

Family-friendly policies matter. But on their own, they do not create gender equity.

At Publicis Sapient UK, support for parents and carers is part of a broader effort to reduce structural barriers that can affect hiring, progression, retention and representation over time. That is why family support is best understood not as a stand-alone benefits story, but as one lever within a wider gender equity strategy—one that connects inclusive policies with analysis, accountability, development and culture.

This matters because the gender pay gap is not simply a question of pay for like-for-like work. It is shaped by representation across career stages, by who moves into senior roles, by who accesses high-value opportunities and by whether people can sustain career momentum through major life events. Publicis Sapient UK’s own reporting has been explicit on this point: progress depends on addressing systemic issues, including the distribution of roles, senior-level representation and the barriers that influence career progression.

Publicis Sapient UK strengthened its family-friendly policies in 2021, introducing enhanced support across pregnancy and maternity, adoption, surrogacy, shared parental leave, paternity and second parent leave, fertility treatment, pregnancy loss and phased return to work. These policies were supported by training and education for employees and managers, reinforcing that meaningful support depends not only on what is written in policy, but also on how it is experienced in practice.

The significance of these changes goes beyond time away from work. Inclusive family policies help normalize shared caregiving, reduce the career penalty that often falls more heavily on women and support smoother transitions back into work. A phased return, for example, can make the difference between coming back sustainably and feeling forced to choose between recovery, care and career. Policies covering adoption, surrogacy, fertility and pregnancy loss also acknowledge that family formation is not one-size-fits-all. That kind of inclusivity helps create a workplace where people are more likely to feel seen, supported and able to plan for the long term.

Publicis Sapient UK’s gender pay gap reporting makes clear that the deeper challenge lies in representation and progression. In its 2021 reporting, the business noted that the gender pay and bonus gap was driven largely by lower representation of female leaders in senior roles. It also pointed to the wider industry challenge of underrepresentation of women in science and technology roles. That is a crucial insight: if more women are concentrated in junior career stages, while more men occupy higher-paying or more senior roles, then even strong family policies will not be enough on their own to close gaps in outcomes.

That is why the UK approach has increasingly focused on the full employee lifecycle. The work is not limited to supporting employees when they become parents. It also looks at who applies, who gets shortlisted, who is hired, how work is allocated, who is promoted and where progression slows down.

Publicis Sapient UK’s Gender Equity Plan reflects this more systemic approach. Launched in 2024, it was designed to go deeper into the causes of inequity by combining employee feedback with detailed analysis of the employee lifecycle. That included reviewing hiring processes to identify gaps in female candidate representation at different stages, analyzing staffing patterns to understand project allocation and team composition, and evaluating promotion data to identify where women may be progressing more slowly than expected.

This kind of analysis matters because it turns intention into action. Rather than relying on assumptions, the organization has used evidence to pinpoint where change is needed most. The findings helped shape targeted interventions, including enhanced outreach to female candidates, more inclusive staffing practices and reviews of promotion criteria to support equitable opportunities for advancement.

There are signs of progress, while also a clear acknowledgment that more work remains. In the 2024 UK Gender Pay Gap Report, Publicis Sapient said it had reduced both its mean and median pay gap compared with the previous year, supported by improved representation at more senior levels. The same report noted that 53% of promotions in the reporting period went to women. Earlier reporting also highlighted movement in the pipeline, including stronger gender representation overall in the UK, a high proportion of women in early careers and increased representation at director and executive levels.

Family support is most effective when it is paired with deliberate career development. Publicis Sapient UK has linked its gender equity efforts to sponsorship, leadership exposure and network-building opportunities designed to help women progress into more senior roles.

These efforts include formal programs such as the Female Executive Sponsorship Programme, participation in the Next Generation Leadership Team and the launch of RISE, a holistic global women’s development program. The company has also highlighted sponsorship initiatives within specific teams, as well as development opportunities that build confidence, communication, relationship management and broader leadership capability.

These programs help address a challenge that policies alone cannot solve: access. Career progression is often influenced by sponsorship, visibility, stretch opportunities and networks. When those advantages are unevenly distributed, inequity compounds over time. By investing in structured development and sponsorship, Publicis Sapient UK is aiming to improve not just retention, but progression into leadership.

Systems change also requires shared ownership. That is where governance and community play an important role.

The UK Gender Taskforce was established as a multidisciplinary group bringing together senior leaders, people team representatives, data analysts and owners of key people processes. Its role is to help drive implementation of the Gender Equity Plan, identify barriers, align processes with equity goals and maintain accountability for progress.

Alongside this, PS Balance was renewed as a gender-inclusive employee network focused on progression, retention and culture. Designed to support women, men and non-binary colleagues across career stages and roles, PS Balance reflects an important principle: gender equity is not only about supporting one group in isolation. It is about building a workplace where caregiving, progression and inclusion are not in tension with one another, and where the benefits of equity extend across the organization.

Other employee communities and support structures also contribute to that environment, including groups focused on parents, carers, women in development and broader inclusion. Together, they help create the dialogue, advocacy and peer support that make formal strategies more real in day-to-day working life.

The most useful way to view Publicis Sapient UK’s family-friendly policies is as part of a bigger equation. Enhanced leave and return-to-work support help people navigate major life moments with dignity and stability. Flexible working, wellbeing support and family resources help people stay connected and sustainable at work. But gender equity depends on what happens next: whether that support is matched by fair hiring, inclusive staffing, transparent promotion practices, sponsorship, development and leadership accountability.

That broader strategy is what turns family support into a progression story rather than simply a policy story.

For prospective employees, it signals that support is being built around real career journeys, not just isolated moments of leave. For business leaders and HR stakeholders, it shows how equity work can move from aspiration to measurable organizational action. And for Publicis Sapient UK, it reflects an ongoing commitment to building a workplace where more people can thrive, progress and lead—regardless of gender, background or circumstance.

The work is not finished. Publicis Sapient UK’s own reporting is clear that structural gaps remain, especially in senior representation and in specialized areas such as engineering. But the direction is also clear: family support is being treated not as the end of the conversation, but as one important part of a wider effort to create a more equitable future of work.

Relevant Links

• Publicis Sapient UK puts family
• Publicis Sapient UK puts family
• Supporting working parents takes more than a leave policy. It takes an employee experience designed for real life.
• How Publicis Sapient Supports Working Parents Across the UK, Europe and Beyond
• Why Employee Experience Is a Business Performance Strategy
• En France, soutenir les parents actifs n’est pas un avantage périphérique : c’est un levier de performance durable (Europe)
• Apoyar a los padres trabajadores no es solo una política: es una estrategia de negocio para el futuro del trabajo en América Latina (LATAM)
• FAQ (FAQ)
• 10 Things to Know About Publicis Sapient’s Support for Working Parents (LIST)