Over a quarter of mothers on maternity leave do not return to work or leave within a year – with the majority saying poor return-to-work or parenting policies impacted their decision. This costs UK companies over half a billion pounds a year in order to replace them, according to new research released from www.matricoaching.com.
The research, amongst mothers who returned to work after having a child in the past three years, found that 15% chose not to return to their role at all. Amongst them, the majority (53%) said that poor parenting or return to work policies impacted the decision.
In particular, they highlighted ‘not being supported’ (55%), that their company would not consider reasonable adjustments to their role or working week (50%) or because they would not allow flexible working – for example starting and finishing early to pick children up from nursery. (33%)
A further 12% of mothers say they left the company within a year. Amongst those that did, even more highlighted poor parenting policies and return to work practices – a huge 83%.
Amongst them, a lack of reasonable adjustments (51%) was also highlighted – however they faced work-place specific issues too. Over a third (35%) said that their company had expectations of them that were simply not possible now they were now a parent and 12% went as far as to say that they actively discriminated against or were forced out.
This lack of provisions for returning mothers is costing UK businesses to the tune of nearly £650 million per year. Out of the approximately 590,000 mothers who go on maternity leave each year, 27% do not return to work or leave within a year. This equates to nearly 106,000 mothers annually. With the CIPD estimating the average cost of filling a vacancy as £6,125, nationally this equates to over £647m.
Furthermore, 57% of all mothers in the research say they were treated differently or made to feel uncomfortable when they were pregnant or when they returned from maternity leave. In particular, 36% say they were made to feel as if their maternity leave was a ‘break’ and 16% said it was implied they were no longer giving their all to the company now they were a parent.
Sophie Maunder, a maternity leave and returning to work expert and founder of Matri Maternity Coaching, said: “The findings paint a worryingly bleak picture with regards to how many women are facing poor treatment when they are returning from maternity leave – or simply knowing that being a parent will not be compatible with their role or company, and are not choosing to return at all.
“Mothers are not asking for the world – they generally want some practical flexibility that allows them to both work and be a parent, and for their employers to be supportive and understand that some give and take is required. When businesses do not offer this, they ultimately end up losing talent and have to fork out to replace those who leave. At Matri, we offer businesses the advice and tools they need to ensure their workers feel comfortable and supported when they come back to the office, benefiting both the business and the parent.”
Empower-Up has a dedicated section on Parenting, Childcare and Caring, which provides information on legal requirements for studios, supporting working parents, flexible leave requests, and more. Find out more here.
