Despite good intentions and appropriate policies, a sizeable proportion of women choose to leave their jobs within 2 years of returning from maternity leave, that is according to the Harvard Business Review. Those who leave are often in senior roles and have the financial flexibility to consider alternative ways of working. Employers can make a few simple changes to improve their chances of holding on to these talented and experienced women.
I recently interviewed HR directors in businesses that consistently made the Times Top 50 Employers for Women (https://gender.bitc.org.uk/awards-benchmarking/TTT502017) list and held focus groups of women returning to work after maternity leave. During these conversations, I noticed five consistent practices in organisations with high retention rates after maternity leave.
Include women during their maternity leave
Even while on maternity leave, employees will most likely stay in touch with their colleagues from work and still feel like part of the team. Forgetting to invite them to significant celebrations or events can seem hurtful and affect their loyalty to the organisation. Be proactive in remembering to invite them to Christmas parties, award ceremonies and leaving do’s and you will notice a positive impact on enthusiasm and engagement on their return.
Encourage Keeping in Touch Days
Returning to work after maternity is a challenging transition. The evidence suggests that it can take several months to find your stride and fully re-engage with your role. Keeping in Touch days can make this re-engagement easier by allowing the employee to slowly wade into their job, identify areas for retraining and hit the ground running when they ultimately return from maternity leave.
Introduce them to other women who have recently returned from maternity leave
Raising a new-born leaves little time to read up on the many books and articles about that promise the secret to juggling work and motherhood. Having a network of women who have been through a similar journey and can offer practical advice is much more effective and useful in helping the experience of transition be less daunting. By introducing them to this network of advisors, your employee will feel valued and understood, which will in turn, encourage their loyalty and productivity.
Commit to their professional advancement
Many women in our surveys and focus groups felt invisible after their return from maternity leave. They described being left out of key meetings and not being considered for promotions. Though many managers may exclude returnees subconsciously, or think they are being considerate of their demand across work and home, the women returning to work still seek to be challenged. Presenting returning employees with opportunities and allowing them to choose those that suit them is better appreciated.
Assist with childcare
Many talented women leave careers they have nurtured because the costs of childcare outweigh the financial benefit of the job. Goldman Sachs (https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jan/13/babies-at-work-onsite-childcare-office-goldman-sachs-addison-lee ) and other forward thinking organisations that recognise this problem have taken measures to provide child care facilities on site or partner with external child care providers. These changes have improved the appeal of the organisations to other brilliant female employees looking for more family friendly places to work.
If you fancy testing your organisation’s maternity transition practices against best practice, try our Helper Bees Maternity Transition benchmark quiz on here (http://bit.ly/matwork)
