Women are often under-represented in the gaming industry and here at Hutch, this is something we want to change. We want to attract more women to come and join us, and we want to embrace and maintain a culture that welcomes and supports women. And part of this is supporting the mums in our Hutch family. We chatted to Line, one of our QA Testers to find out about her experience of being a mum at Hutch. Thanks Line for telling us your story!

How did Hutch support you during your pregnancy?

I’ve been at Hutch now for over three years. I was already a mum when I joined, my oldest was just short of turning three. I joined during lockdown and just over a year after that I was pregnant with my second. At the time, coming to the office was voluntary so I opted to mainly work from home to make it easier for me to attend appointments.

I had a very difficult pregnancy. Scans and blood tests showed I had a high chance, greater than 9 out of 10, for my baby having Down Syndrome. I was never in doubt that I wanted to keep the baby, but it was a huge thing to come to terms with. I also had a lot of extra scans and towards the end I was on two scans a week due to medical concerns.

Hutch was absolutely brilliant in supporting me through this time! I got time off to attend all the standard and all the extra appointments I needed, without this affecting my pay or me needing to work extra to catch up on my time away. Hutch policy to support mental health also meant that I could take a sick day when I felt overwhelmed with it all. To be able to do this was, and still is, priceless.

What are your thoughts on the maternity leave offered by Hutch?

The best thing about Hutch Maternity leave is maternity pay. Where most companies follow the bare minimum and pay the first 6 weeks, Hutch triple that and pay enhanced maternity pay for 18 weeks, without any caveats where you need to pay it back if you chose not to return to work after maternity leave.

What was it like coming back to work after your maternity leave?

My son’s diagnosis was confirmed after birth and as a family we became part of “the lucky few” who get to have people with Down Syndrome in our immediate family. I was never in doubt that I wanted to go back to work for Hutch after maternity. Though I have to admit, I was a bit worried about making it work with all the extra appointments due to medical needs our son has. Hutch has again shown me that they are indeed a very family friendly company. I get paid time off for medical appointments and there is never any negativity around this. In fact it is actually the opposite, I get reassurances that I shouldn’t feel bad for needing the time off.

We had issues with childcare just as I was returning, the nursery date we had been promised fell through. Hutch was very accommodating, and for a short transitioning period I got approval to work from home while we sorted a childminder. 

Having a family and working at Hutch, for me, is not in conflict with each other. The combination of having a 4 day work week, two days in the office and two working from home as well as some flexibility in working hours means that I can do the majority of the school runs and I can choose to have my youngest at home on Fridays (saving money on childcare).

What would you say to anyone who has young children and might be considering applying for a job at Hutch?

If you are a parent to young children and are considering applying for a job at Hutch, I would absolutely say go for it. Hutch says that they want to fit work around family and that family comes before work. I have found this to be very true for me.

We hope this has given you a bit of insight into how we support and empower women at Hutch. Check out the links below for more info on working at Hutch, plus some other useful resources. And if you’re looking to start a new chapter in your career and Hutch sounds like your kind of place, we’d love to hear from you!

Useful Links

Careers at Hutch - Fancy joining us? Check out our latest vacancies in London, Dundee and Nova Scotia. 

The Hutch 4 Day Week - find out more about exactly how the 4 Day Week works here at Hutch. 

The Hutch Blog - head over to our blog for loads more content from women at Hutch on what it’s like to work here, plus tips and advice on how to get into the industry.

Women in Games - an organisation striving to get more women into games and esports, providing lots of events and ways to connect with women in the industry.