Despite decades of social progress in the workplace, many women still face discrimination and unfair treatment while pregnant or when they return back to work after maternity leave.
Research last year by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) illustrated the enormity of the situation when it estimated that 54,000 new mothers and pregnant women are forced out of their jobs every year because of discrimination.
Hannah Martin, an advertising copywriter and co-founder of online magazine Talented Ladies Club, returned to work after her four-month maternity leave and immediately felt discriminated against. “My line manager had informally told me I could work one day a week from home when I returned from maternity leave, but on my first day back I was told this was no longer possible. It was also made clear that there was no point making a formal application for flexible working as it would be turned down.”
Several months later, she says was called into a meeting, told her performance wasn’t up to scratch, pressured into signing an NDA and asked to leave.
“There is no way this would have happened had I not been a mum,” adds Martin, who has joined hundreds of women in sharing her story on the website Pregnant Then Screwed, which launched a free legal service in March offering advice to women about maternity discrimination. “I later found out that I was replaced by a younger male colleague who was able to work in the office until 9pm every night.”
Unrecognisable jobs
When Ellie Gilchrist* returned to work as a part-time communications manager at a university after having a baby, she was handed the same amount of work she did in her former full-time role. “The biggest issue for me was exhaustion,” she says. “My employers are quite careful not to discriminate but the intensity of work was high. I was eased in but the job was still the same eventually, albeit less hours.” Gilchrist admits her health suffered as a result and in combination with a recent health scare, she decided to hand in her notice and work as a freelancer instead.
Gilchrist’s story is not uncommon. A survey by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) found that one in three women return to work after maternity leave to find their job ‘unrecognisable’ to the one they left, while 84% of mothers feel that having children has made it harder to progress in their career, according to research from Mumsnet.
Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts says it’s imperative that employers help women in the transition back to work after having a child. “Supporting women on their return to work improves retention rates and adds value to a company. So many talented, experienced women disappear from the workforce after having children, in part because in some organisations it can all feel so difficult and inflexible.”
She says that there are two things that its users want from employers: flexibility, and a company culture that makes people feel they can approach managers with reasonable requests. “Open communication, understanding, good training of line managers and a cultural commitment to flexibility could make the switch back to work a lot less stressful,” says Roberts.
Jo Swinson, chair of charity Maternity Action, agrees that creating a supportive environment in the workplace during pregnancy and return to work is important. “Good policies on their own are not enough – employers should ensure line managers have appropriate training and leadership should reinforce a positive culture of support for pregnant workers and new parents.”
Support should be flexible
Roberts says that companies featured on its Family Friendly scheme have a range of innovatory practices when it comes to helping women return to the workforce. She highlights Unilever, which has a Maps (Maternity and Paternity Support) programme, guiding and supporting employees and line managers through the stages of becoming a parent, up to and including returning to work. “Others offer a gradual return to work, which allows women returning to work after maternity leave to return to their full working hours gradually over a two-month period,” she adds.
Swinson says keeping in touch (Kit) days can be a useful way for women to stay connected to the workplace and get back up to speed as their return to work date approaches. However, she adds that while some women enjoy being in touch with colleagues and what is going on at work, others prefer to make a clear break during maternity leave. “The best thing is for employers to discuss how the mother would like engagement to work.”
Kate Hoy, a manager in Deloitte’s human capital practice department, took Kit days each time she had her children, now seven and five, and says she kept in touch with the company regarding timings, handing over of work and proposed return dates. She rates Deloitte as a flexible employer.
“Since I am client facing, this can involve travel so I have been clear about my boundaries and how many days a week I could be away from home,” Hoy says. “Each time I go onto a new project, I discuss my travel restrictions with both the project manager and the client.”
She says that advances in technology mean that remote working enables a much more flexible approach than was possible several years ago. “This has been really positive for me as it’s enabled me to keep doing the job I love and am good at, as well as spend time with my family,” she adds.
Flexible working arrangements can make a big difference in helping women smoothly return back into the workforce: “whether it’s accommodating returning to work part time, having policies supporting breastfeeding, or changes in working patterns to reflect childcare provision,” says Swinson.
“Getting this support right reduces the loss of talent from the workplace, reduces recruitment and staff turnover costs, and positively builds loyalty – any responsible employer will want to ensure they are doing the right thing.”
*Ellie Gilchrist’s name has been changed.
