It seems that support doesn’t start with tools, but with space
Feedback from a workshop for women in science shows that, alongside tools, space for reflection, sharing, and practical support plays a key role.
The Change Is Visible. Just Look Around.
The project “Introducing a Flexible Work Culture and Support for Employees on Maternity and Parental Leave at the Faculty of Science” has come to an end. When we launched it, we knew that without systemic change, nothing truly significant would happen.
Today, we have several concrete outcomes that will remain in place:
- A practical Methodology for managing maternity and parental leave, with clear steps and a designated contact person overseeing the entire process.
- A new Employee Portal that is clear, practical, and genuinely useful.
- An e-learning course on legal aspects of maternity and parental leave, offering managers support exactly when they need it.
These are tangible project outputs. Important. Useful. Sustainable.
But the project’s main contribution lies elsewhere.
The biggest change? We started talking about leadership.
Through a series of workshops launched by the project conference, leadership moved from the margins to the centre of attention at the faculty.
And something surprisingly simple became clear:
People do not need more rules – they need space.
Workshops for managers as well as for women researchers who are mothers showed that one of the most valuable things an organisation can do is create opportunities for people to share.
Their experiences. Their uncertainties. Their successes and their mistakes.
Research consistently shows that psychological safety within teams is one of the strongest predictors of both performance and job satisfaction. And this is not something that can be mandated. It can only be created.
The good news?
It is also one of the least expensive tools we have.
A second key lesson was this: do not do things for people; do them with people.
The initiatives that worked best were not designed behind a desk.
They emerged when we involved the people they were intended to support. When we stopped assuming and started asking.
The result? More practical solutions and greater acceptance.
Simple. But not obvious.
You can find us everywhere.
We deliberately placed our Employee Portal campaign where it would be hard to miss: on notice boards, digital screens, and even on mirrors above washbasins.
Because having good tools is not enough.
People need to know they exist.
What comes next?
Flexibility, leadership, trust, and support for parents are not one-off measures.
They are areas that need continuous attention, development, and discussion.
We are already working on the next concrete steps. A family room for employees with children is being prepared at Kotlářská, and a new kindergarten is being established on the University Campus under the auspices of Masaryk University.
We have a solid foundation to build on.
And we will continue the work long after the project itself has ended.
