In the UK, close to 70% of mums with young children are employed. A growing majority of them rely on paid childcare to make this work. But with the costs of full-time childcare soaring, not all working parents have this option, and it’s almost always mums who have to give up their careers to be carers.
How employers handle maternity and the return to work can mean the difference between retaining or losing a talented member of staff. This guide explains the most wanted employment benefits for working mums that will help keep careers on track.
Key Takeaways
- Flexible working is the most-wanted employment benefit for working mums. This includes compressed hours, remote work and job sharing.
- Additional paid maternity leave and extended paternity leave help take the pressure off new working parents and encourage them to take their full entitlements.
- An inclusive company culture is essential to support working mums.
- Managers must be able to talk employees through family-friendly policies and offer empathy and support to working mums.
Why Employers Should Support Working Mums
According to a survey of working mums carried out by Totaljobs and the Fawcett Society, the average maternity leave lasts 39 weeks, 13 weeks short of the total statutory entitlement.
Some working mums end their maternity leave early for financial reasons (statutory maternity pay only lasts 39 weeks), but work anxiety is also a common factor. Of the surveyed mums, 34% were less confident returning to work after maternity. This figure rises to 42% for women who took more than 26 weeks of leave.
It makes sense that mums who take more time off feel less confident returning to work. It can be hard stepping back into a role after seven days on holiday, let alone seven months of caring for a newborn. Despite this, employer support is lacking for mums who take more time off to be with their children.
Almost half (42%) of mums who took 26 weeks or more of maternity leave received no support on their return to work. Women who took less than 25 weeks of maternity leave fared better, with “only” 23% expected to pick back up without any support.
Sadly, it seems that some working mums are penalised for taking their full entitlements. As a result, many cap their ambitions or simply leave work entirely. According to research from the University of Bristol, 17% of women leave employment entirely in the five years after childbirth, compared to 4% of men.
Employers who don’t offer support for working mothers risk losing experienced staff. To make matters worse, they may also struggle to attract talented replacements.
Almost all (91%) of working parents consider family-friendly policies critical when considering job offers. Moreover, two-thirds of workers in the UK want employers to offer family-friendly policies regardless of parental status.
Statutory Entitlements
This guide offers advice on support for working mothers beyond statutory entitlements. See our previous guide for a breakdown of pregnant employee rights and what employers must do for new and expectant mothers.
Employment Benefits for Working Mums
Employers can support working mums in dozens of ways, but a great place to start is with the five policies listed below. The vast majority of employed mums say these would make the most difference to their working lives.
Flexible Working
Working parents’ number one demand is flexible working.
Flexible working covers a lot of different arrangements: compressed hours, adjusted start/end times or job sharing. It also applies to remote or hybrid working models.
Any successful flexible working policy should offer all of these options. Don’t assume all working mums will want the same arrangements. Cooperate with them to find the arrangement that best fits their work and home lives.
Also, don’t dismiss flexible working as a “favour” or inconvenience. There’s no point in offering flexible working options if employees are sidelined for accepting them. And if you’re not convinced, research strongly suggests that flexible working is good for productivity as well as employee wellbeing.
Offer Additional Leave
As discussed, the majority of new mums end maternity early, possibly because they fear taking their full entitlement will put them at a disadvantage.
To counteract this, you can offer employees additional paid maternity leave. Paying employees past the statutory 39 weeks helps financially and signals your support of working mothers. It proves you’re committed to your employees’ welfare and won’t penalise new mums for taking more time off to be with their children.
Offering extended paternity leave also benefits new mums. Giving dads and non-birthing partners more than the statutory two weeks helps them bond with their little ones and lets them take some pressure off mum.
Ensure that any parental leave policies are implemented alongside robust return-to-work programmes. There’s an adjustment period after any length of maternity leave; be sure you offer regular communication and keep-in-touch (KIT) days for employees taking more than the minimum.
Paid Time Off for Family
All employees have a right to time off for dependents. If a child is suddenly taken ill or suffers an accident, you must allow reasonable time off for parents to deal with the emergency.
While time off is a right for all employees from day one, you choose whether that time off is paid or not.
Working parents are typically nervous about taking time off for family, worrying that it will reflect poorly on them professionally.
Offering paid time off for dependents can undo this perception. It shows that working parents (particularly mums who are often the primary caregivers) shouldn’t feel guilt or concern when family needs outweigh professional ones.
Encourage Inclusion
Empathy and inclusivity for new mums and working parents should be company values.
Your family-friendly policies need to be clear and offered without judgment. Working mums often feel anxious about job advancement or security. This pressure can lead them to give up their full entitlements as they feel the need to compete with their male or non-parent colleagues.
Be sure that employment benefits for working mums are baked into your company culture and that all managers and supervisors offer support without bias.
Train Managers
Managers must be able to offer sincere support to pregnant employees and working mums.
Part of this is ensuring managers themselves understand statutory rights and your organisation’s employment benefits for working mums. Managers should know how to handle flexible work requests, check in regularly with returning parents and communicate available resources.
Training might also need to cover communication skills such as active listening or empathy to enable managers to have supportive, respectful conversations.
New and Expectant Mothers at Work Training
Managers must understand the statutory rights and entitlements that protect new and expectant mothers in the workplace to truly support them.
Our online New and Expectant Mothers at Work training course provides a comprehensive overview of these crucial legal protections and guidance on effectively implementing them in the workplace.
This course covers everything managers need to know, including maternity leave rights, health and safety considerations, and flexible working entitlements. Equipping your management team with this knowledge will ensure that your organisation complies with legal requirements and creates a supportive environment for working mums.
About the author(s)
Jonathan Goby
