'Maternity Matters' by Dana Mellor
When I read in the last issue of Thames Valley People, that 50% of CIPD membership are under 40 years old and 80% are female, I decided this was fertile ground on which to continue my research into the experiences of women returning to work following maternity leave.
Under recent legislation, entitlement to statutory maternity pay and leave, has been extended from six to nine months and is to be further extended to a full year(1). The impact of this family friendly legislation on new parents and on employers is not yet clear and some experts predict that, 'without better management, the new regulations which aim to make it easier for new parents to continue working could do just the opposite. The longer new mothers spend on leave, the more their professional confidence ebbs away and the greater the wrench in leaving their baby when the time comes to go back to work.'(2)
A recent survey of my own peer group of 15 women, who have returned to work as new mothers within the last year, suggests that the quality of support offered to parents on their return varies greatly and that 1:1 support which potentially has the most significant effect, is the most lacking in practice. One respondent who works for a large telecommunications company says that 'although an excellent maternity policy is in place in terms of time off and financial support, there was no personal HR support. All matters were done via an internal web link with all information and processes hidden within the internal intranet system.' Another respondent, a partner in a top 20 firm of chartered accountants says her employer was 'very supportive without actually having a defined return to work policy...this helped me enormously and I repaid them by sticking with them through two children and then agreed to go back full time and juggle work and kids.
Options to work part time and working flexible hours, were taken up by 52% of respondents to date. While this allowed them to find a better balance between work and parenting, the outcome of these choices were not always what they expected. One mother says 'at my request I returned to work under a reduced working week contract which meant that I regularly missed out on departmental activities / training and was not considered when projects or supplementary roles cropped up'. Another respondent says' I was only allowed to go 4 days, not 3 or fewer, which basically meant full-time but just work more quickly! '
82% of respondents did NOT take advantage of the right to a full 52 weeks (including unpaid) leave. In the majority of cases this was due to being self employed and 'not having anyone to delegate to' or 'financial pressure'. One respondent however, felt 'pressure from those in higher positions' to return to work saying, 'It's a shame that I was not stronger and did not feel able to negotiate my position and rights more forcefully.'
Another popular option, requested by respondents to the survey, was a 'phased introductory return'. As one mother (an HR manager) says 'things change fast nowadays, a year out is a long time in any business. If you're off work due to sickness, phased returns are commonly offered, but if you've had a baby you're expected to hit the ground running'.
The introduction of up to ten, 'keeping in touch days', allows mothers back to work without forfeiting their right to paid maternity leave. It has been suggested (2) that employers use these days for re-induction, planning how the return will be managed and to update returners on any new developments. In practice, some women who have returned for keeping in touch days were expected to 'jump in where they left off'. One of our respondents, a teacher, returned to work on a day when staff were in short supply. She was given a lesson plan and asked to 'get on with it'.
Nationwide, over two-thirds of mothers return to work, within nine months of having their baby(3). This, combined with the new legislation governing paternity leave (4) suggests that almost every employer will at some time, employ those who are or will become parents. Where employers, both in the private and public sectors, have invested in employee training and development, it is in their interests to provide whatever support is proven to be the most effective in the long term. While the majority of employers in our survey provided 'a clearly defined maternity policy', none of our respondent mothers to date were offered 1:1 support from a line manager or HR manager 'trained to support women through this transition'; 1:1 coaching or a phased introduction on their return to work.
'Strategies which support working mothers are becoming increasingly critical to success'(5) and unless employers are prepared to revise their maternity policies to include the preferred options of new parents, valuable human resources will continue to be lost. 'Returning to work after a year is a very different prospect to returning after six months ....employers will need to put a lot more effort into managing maternity leave to make it work positively and productively(2). With appropriate short term support, new parents can learn to be even more effective, focused and more confident than before parenthood. They can create their own work/life balance and develop a higher degree of commitment & loyalty towards employers who support them through a challenging time.
As an employer, HR manager or as a new mother returning to work, your perspectives and insights are important to us. Please have your say, by contributing to our online survey.(Return to Home Page and click on 'Online Survey'). Your time will be very much appreciated. Thank you.
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