Episode 16 - From Continuity to Confidence: How Trainline Designed a High-Impact Maternity Leave Experience

How do you design a parental leave experience that strengthens performance, reinforces loyalty, and supports seamless business continuity - even when an employee steps away for nine months?In this episode of the Kundra Podcast, Theresa sits down with Fanny, Product Manager at Trainline, to explore how a supportive culture, thoughtful planning, and a structured reboarding process transformed her maternity leave into a moment of stability - for both her team and her career.From leadership reassurance and clear expectations, to a dedicated cover and a gentle ramp-back, Fanny’s experience shows how the quality of a leave journey can directly influence engagement, performance, and retention.Inside this conversation, you’ll discover:Supportive Leadership Behaviours: How honest, proactive conversations with her manager and CPO created clarity, confidence, and psychological safety before she went on leave.Continuity Without Burnout: Why Trainline chose to hire a dedicated maternity cover - and how this ensured smooth delivery, stable performance, and a frictionless return.Healthy Disconnection, Helpful Touchpoints: How low-pressure updates during leave preserved a sense of belonging without pulling her back into work.A Structured, Human Reboarding: What Trainline’s handovers, stakeholder mapping, shadowing and ramp-up period looked like - and why they set her up for success.Performance After Parenthood: How becoming a mother reshaped Fanny’s approach to prioritisation, efficiency, and boundaries - ultimately enhancing her impact.Retention Through Real Support: Why a generous, well-managed leave made Fanny feel more loyal, more motivated, and more committed to contributing long-term.Whether you’re a working parent, HR leader, or manager, this episode highlights how the right structures and expectations can turn parental leave into a powerful driver of stability, satisfaction, and organisational strength.In this episode we cover:00:00 Introduction & Fanny’s Background03:57 Setting the Scene: Trainline’s Structure & Leave Context05:01 Preparing for Leave: Leadership Reassurance & Expectations09:31 Ensuring Coverage & Business Continuity16:39 Staying Connected: Light Touchpoints During Leave18:25 Reboarding with Care: Structure, Shadowing & Safety20:39 Lessons for Leaders: Loyalty, Performance & ROIAbout KundraKundra is building the future of parental leave.We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.Want more from each episode?Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkitsFollow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadershipFollow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes