AS FEATURED IN
The conversation your workplace hasn't had yet
Inclusion efforts have come a long way. But there’s one area most organisations haven’t touched: the quiet, everyday experience of childfree employees.
Not dramatic. Not loud. Just a steady drip of assumptions, missed flexibility, loaded comments, and the feeling of being slightly invisible because your life doesn’t follow the expected script.
It affects morale. It affects retention. Most of the time, nobody’s even aware it’s happening.
That’s where we come in.
The numbers are hard to ignore
50% of women under 30 don’t have children. 1 in 4 workers never will. Yet from our 2023 survey of 1,100 childfree people:
77%
of childfree people feel like they’ve been treated differently at work
60%
have felt friction with the parents they work with
68%
feel like they can’t bring up these issues with their line manager
16%
have considered leaving their job because of these challenges
This isn’t a fringe issue. It’s sitting quietly inside your team right now.
What Building Bridges actually is
A facilitated workshop for organisations who want to get ahead of this. Thoughtfully, practically, collaboratively.
We don’t do blame. We don’t do us-versus-them. We create space for honest, human conversations that help teams understand each other better and work together more fairly.
Sessions cover:
- What “childfree” actually means and why the language matters.
- How bias and assumptions around parenthood quietly shape workplace culture.
- The real experiences of childfree employees, told with nuance not grievance.
- Practical steps towards more inclusive policies, language and team dynamics.
- How to open these conversations and keep them open.
Grounded in lived experience. Backed by data. Delivered with warmth.
Who it's for
HR and People teams looking to close an inclusion blind spot most organisations haven’t spotted yet.
DEI and inclusion leads who want their programmes to reflect the full diversity of their workforce.
Managers and leaders who want their teams to feel genuinely seen.
Childfree employees who’ve been waiting for their workplace to catch up.
If you’ve ever thought “I wish my company understood this” – share this page with your HR team.
Companies we've worked with
How we work
We deliver online and in-person sessions, adapted to your organisation’s size, culture and needs.
Every session is built on the same principles:
- We build mutual understanding between parents and non-parents, not division.
- There’s no blame and no guilt, just honest reflection and practical action.
- And this isn’t compliance training. It’s the kind of session people actually talk about afterwards.
“I had the pleasure of hosting a conversation with Zoë to shine a light on the childfree community for our members. Zoë was a fantastic speaker, sharing a mixture of educational insights on the community, and recommendations on how we can be more inclusive of childfree women in the workplace. Our members – both parents and non-parents - thoroughly enjoyed the event.”
CLAIRE BACON, DEPUTY LEAD WOMEN, RECKITT UK 
About Us
Zoë and James are the founders of We are Childfree, a global storytelling platform and community of over 200,000 childfree people with international reach and recognised media coverage.
They know what it feels like to be othered at work for a personal choice. They’ve spent years listening to, documenting and advocating for childfree lives. In public, and now in workplaces.
We’ve delivered workshops for EY, Reckitt and Experian. Our workshops aren’t theory. They’re built from thousands of real conversations and actual data.
“I LOVE LOVE LOVE Zoë Noble's We are Childfree - a platform for building community around and celebrating anybody childfree by choice, to destigmatize one of society's most embedded and misleading beliefs: that everyone wants, needs and must have children.”
CINDY GALLOP, CEO, IFWERANTHEWORLD 
Let's talk
Whether you’re an HR lead ready to act, a DEI professional building out your programme, or a childfree employee who wants to bring this conversation to your organisation, get in touch.
THE IMPACT
Hidden harms, concealed costs
For many companies, this is an invisible issue. Yet the impact is real.
- Decreased productivity
- Conflict between employees
- Mental health challenges
- Higher staff turnover
- Increased hiring and training costs
- Risks to your brand and reputation
The good news?
There’s lots of positive action companies can take to build bridges between colleagues with and without children!
Our workshop sessions educate and empower, giving you the tools to ensure childfree team members feel valued and listened to.
THE SOLUTION
The Building Bridges Workshop
Our one-hour sessions focus on fostering an inclusive working environment by bridging the gap between staff with children, and those who are childfree.
Who are these workshops for?
- Company leaders interested in cultivating an inclusive workplace culture
- Managers responsible for running collaborative teams
- Parents and non-parents throughout your organization
What’s covered?
- Inclusive Language: what does the term “childfree” mean compared to “childless”?
- Understanding: what challenges do people face when leading a childfree lifestyle?
- Myths & Microaggressions: what are the main misconceptions of the childfree community?
- Cooperation & Collaboration: how can colleagues be more inclusive towards their childfree coworkers?
- Building Bridges: how can we foster mutual understanding, respect and cooperation between parents and non-parents?
How are they delivered?
- Remote webinars open to everyone at your organization
- Face-to-face small group workshops available for specific teams, departments or Employee Resource Groups
Sessions are very flexible and can be tailored to your company’s needs. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, just ask!
THE BENEFITS
Build a truly inclusive workplace
Building Bridges allows you to create open dialogues, enhance cooperation and reduce friction, promoting a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion.
Support a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion
Develop inclusive language sensitive to everyone’s parental status
Establish channels for employee feedback and conflict resolution
Create an environment in which childfree people can thrive
Reduce friction between parents and non-parents
Encourage better communication, cooperation, and collaboration
Implement inclusive hiring practices and reduce bias in selection processes
Improve employee satisfaction and performance
Increase employee retention
FAQ
Surely childfree people don’t experience the same discrimination as other marginalised groups?
True, but what matters most is how childfree people feel about their workplace. Ask yourself, do they have reason to feel that parents are favoured in your company? What accommodations have you made for people who don’t or can’t have kids? If folks are feeling discriminated against, what if we could help you clear the air?
What if I haven’t heard any complaints from childfree people at work?
But if one of the problems faced by childfree folks is that they don’t feel safe to speak up, how would you know? They confide in us that they fear their very real concerns won’t be welcomed in the same way as those of their coworkers with kids. So when it comes to your team, no news might be bad news!
What if I don’t have money to invest in diversity, equity and inclusion?
Do you have money to spend on hiring and training new staff? Childfree folks tell us they’re ready to leave unwelcoming work environments, and you can help keep them happy, productive – and in your business! – by opening up a safe channel of communication.
Tell me more about your consulting services
As well as being expert facilitators, we’re experts in creating childfree-friendly workplaces. Our consulting services can help you make your policies more accommodating for non-parents, design benefits that delight all your employees, communicate in language that’s truly inclusive, and more! If you’re ready to talk about how to build a better business for all your employees, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch!