8 Ways To Retain Female Talent After Maternity Leave

With the rise in feminism among millennials comes the natural debate around parental leave and work-life balance. Having recently returned to full-time work after the birth of my first child, I looked into the reasons why new moms do or do not return to work after maternity leave.

Ultimately the reasons mothers work or stay home with their child are deeply personal and based on their own situation, but there were a few common threads that stuck out. If an employer is looking to retain their female talent after maternity leave, there are eight areas they can focus on to increase their odds.

1. Have A Generous Maternity Leave Policy

This tip is a given as it’s an extremely popular topic among millennial channels today. Nearly everyone knows that the United States has one of the worst leave laws among developed nations in the world. This leaves the opportunity up to employers to bridge the gap.

The National Partnership for Women and Families reported that only 14% of workers in the United States have access to employer paid leave , while unpaid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is only an option for fewer than 50% of the workforce, as it requires the person to be employed for at least 12 months before the birth and the company to employ 50 or more people within a 75 mile radius. Even for those who qualify, many can’t afford to take 12 weeks unpaid leave.

In light of all of this, employers who provide 12 weeks or more paid leave greatly increase the likelihood that their employees will return to work after leave.

“With my first child, I was pregnant when I got hired, so I didn't qualify for FMLA because I hadn't been there long enough,” said Kathy Haan, CEO of Idyllic Pursuit, a coaching business mentoring company. “I returned to work after 6 weeks unpaid and stayed for a couple of weeks before deciding to leave that job and work temp assignments. Had I been given actual maternity leave with a flexible schedule I would have stayed.”

2. Make It Financially Worthwhile To Return

According to a newly released survey by Job Seeker Nation, only 20% of job seekers have taken or plan to take parental leave. A full 32% of those who have not cite workload as the primary reason for not taking time off, followed by cost and lack of company policy.

With the large number of households today that depend upon both incomes to get by, not returning to work isn’t even an option for many women. However, women who make less are more likely to consider the trade offs and struggle to find the value in paying child care costs so they can work. The more they are paid, the higher the trade off cost for them to quit their job. Make it hard for them to quit.

“Aside from needing to earn an income to help support my household, I also genuinely want to be working,” said Christine Lewis, Account Director at InkHouse Media + Marketing, a public relations firm. “I am a better mother and a better wife because I work full-time at a job that I love.”

3. Be Understanding In The Transition

Not every situation is the same, so it's important for employers to understand that policies around maternity leave and workplace flexibility might work for most, but not for others. Adjusting policies to account for individual scenarios helps new mothers feel valued and appreciated.

“I worked at a great communications job for five years before my daughter was born, but chose to return as a casual worker after 10 weeks of maternity leave,” said Erin Goodnow, Founder and CEO of Going Ivy, a college admissions consulting group. “I'm so thankful for that casual option! I did not adjust to motherhood right away, and I needed a bit more time to get my daughter eating better and into a routine. My boss was so supportive and started feeding me assignments in almost a freelance relationship. I could turn down the assignment if I was too busy, but I almost never did.”

4. Don’t Derail Her Career Growth

For many new moms in the workplace, they are trying to be the master of everything. They want to be able to do it all, but often times can’t. In many cases, giving a mom options about her working conditions relieves this pressure. Be careful though, as no career-driven woman wants to hear that they are being demoted or additional responsibilities withheld because of her new status.

New moms still want the option to invest in their work more and climb the ladder, so make that a possibility for your best employees, regardless of if they have a new baby at home or not. She will tell you if she’s not ready, but give her that choice. Even better, if she’s earned a promotion and you offer it, you’ll be showing support for her during a busy time, while making it easier for her to invest further in your company.

“My employer is incredibly generous and flexible when it comes to sick time and doctors appointments for my child,” said Brittney Garneau, Senior Account Supervisor at Pierpont Communications, a public relations firm. “As the first millennial in my workplace to have a child, I feel I have done a great job setting the example for a working mother in our office space. In fact, I was recently promoted into a management position.”

5. Offer Her A Flexible Work Schedule

By and large, outside of adequate maternity leave and higher pay, flexible work was what women who I spoke to stated as the most important factor in their return to work. Every pregnancy, baby, and mom are different, so while some women may be able to jump right back into 50 hour work weeks, others may be terrified to leave their baby with anyone else.

“My employer offered me a flexible work arrangement of working four days a week,” said Katharina Eggers, Sr. Brand Manager at Rêve Consulting, a strategy and service design consultancy. “This made coming back infinitely easier, emotionally and practically. Working four days seems doable, even as a brand new mom, so it wasn’t something I had to think too hard about.”

Millennial women are especially likely to request flexibility after having a child because they understand many jobs can be modified for their life today. In fact, if employers aren’t flexible enough, some women turn to their own resources to create their own business that fits their lifestyle.

“I have just had my second son in February 2017 and I just came back into the office this Monday from my maternity leave to give my two-week notice,” said Yana Shellman, Owner of Yana Shellman Photography. “I was able to build up a wedding photography business during these few years which will give us some financial padding and I will have the flexibility to care for my small children. I am thinking that if my company would allow for some flexibility in my work schedule I might have not tried building up business on the side to have this replacement career. I would be able to balance my motherhood and career with a lot more satisfaction and happiness.”

6. Help With Childcare

A poll of Care.com members found that the top reason new moms leave their job was the cost of childcare , followed closely by the desire to spend more time with their family and a lack of flexibility in the workplace.

Millennial families are feeling the sting of childcare costs and some women feel the pressure to leave their job when the costs outweigh the benefits of working. Further, it’s stressful for working moms when their childcare provider is unexpectedly sick, or if the child needs to stay home from daycare. Employers can step into this gap by providing onsite childcare facilities or backup care.

“Work places are starting to provide the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage Program (BUCA)’ in which they will send a qualified and vetted nanny (typically from a local agency) to their employee's home on a day when their regular caregiver is sick or otherwise unavailable,” said Lydia Brown, Founder of Chicago Collegiate Nannies, a nanny placement service. “I believe this alternative has also aided in making it possible for busy mothers to return to work after giving birth.”

7. Empower Her To Be A Role Model For Her Child

“I went back to work after 12 weeks leave with both my children,” said Alissa Carpenter, Career Discovery and Personal Development Coach at Everything's Not OK and That's OK, a millennial life coaching company. “It was important to me to have daily intellectual adult conversations, make a financial contribution to our family, and work with others to help them pursue their goals.  I also wanted my kids to know that being a working parent is an option if that is something they choose to pursue in the future.”

Many women want their kids to know that there are plenty of options for mothers when it comes to their career. They go back to work to show their kids that the possibilities are endless and that they can someday make whatever decision is right for them. Employers can help with this by empowering mothers with great opportunities and by hosting events like ‘Bring Your Child To Work Day’, where they can inspire their children to follow in their footsteps.

8. Help Them Love Their Job

Mothers who love their job are far more likely to return after their maternity leave. While there are pros and cons to every job and you are certainly not expected to give them everything on a golden platter, have you asked her recently what she thinks of her job or what she would like to do with her career? Having the conversations about her preferences gives you the tools you need to create a job she loves.

“Prior to my current job, I had always thought I would become a stay-at-home mom after having kids,” said Megan Derkey, Senior Account Executive at Bellmont Partners, a public relations firm. “I had never loved any of my jobs enough to care to be a working mom. But, a little over two years ago I fell into my dream job, at a fabulous company that is so family-friendly. During my pregnancy, I planned on returning to work full-time after 12 weeks or so, and had a deposit down and a spot secured at a nearby childcare center. During my leave, my thoughts shifted as I adjusted to motherhood and I didn’t think I was ready to leave my daughter five days a week. When I broached the subject with my bosses, they were very open to any sort of arrangement. I ended up taking a 14-week maternity leave, and I now work three days a week and it’s been the perfect combination for me.”

9. Know That Some New Mothers Won’t Return To Work No Matter What

The honest truth is that you could do all of the above eight items to create an excellent environment for a working mother and your employee still may choose to quit. Every single person’s situation is different and no amount of modifications to their work-life balance could influence some people to return to work.

Even though choosing a career path is a personal decision for each mother, employers can offer adequate leave, pay their employees well, work together through the transition back to work, offer career opportunities, negotiate flexible working terms, help with childcare costs, empower new mothers, and help them love their job if they want to increase their chances of retaining millennial mothers in the workplace.

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