1541 working mothers responded to the first phase of Mums Going Back to Work research.

61% said they would work regardless of financial need. 95% said their ideal family is one where both parents work.  Yet despite the obvious desire to work and often generous practices and policies, only 3 out of 10 employees found their return to work after maternity easy.

It has been shown that organisations with at least 3 female board members outperform the competition. Is has also been found that teams of 50/50 men and women are more innovative then those that are male dominated.

However, regardless of the benefits of employing women, most organisations will see a steady flow of women leaking out of their organisations such that a gender balanced recruitment at junior level translates to less than 10% female board membership.

At a time where organisations need to maxise the potential of their talent pool and minimise risk, a poorly managed return to work has the effect of breaking the psychological contract - the impact of which will be felt by the mother, her colleagues, her family and ultimately her organisation.

Our research so far has found both organisational culture and individual disposition impact a mother’s ease of returning to work after maternity leave. Line Managers are seen as pivotal to a smooth return.

The questions remain: How to support returning mothers? How to help Line Managers who are often at the front line? How to diagnose and create a positive culture of gender diversity?