Mums Going Back to Work is a joint initiative between Liz Morris of Mayfield Associates and the UK’s two leading parenting charities, the NCT and Working Families.
With a growing background of anecdotal evidence suggesting mothers are finding it increasingly difficult to make the transition from childless employee to working mother we launched the Mums Going Back to Work program. Our aim is to develop free evidence-based support packs for mothers and employers to enable a smoother transition and maximise the benefits for all involved.
Phase 1 of the research sought to understand the experiences of mothers. We found that overwhelmingly most of those mothers who worked wanted to work. Despite this, only 3 in 10 found their transition back to work an easy one. Several factors that impacted their return to work:
Organisational factors related to the return to work ratings
- Relationship with boss/line manager
- Organisation culture (Purpose driven organisation and Target driven team)
- Work place process support eg induction program
- Work place social support
Individual factors related to return to work ratings
- Work preference
- The number of reasons to return to work
- Health at the end of maternity leave
- Confidence about ability to return effectively and do the job
- External social support
The research showed that line managers were seen as pivotal in enabling a smooth transition back to work. Therefore, phase 2 of the research seeks to understand the experiences of employers and line managers. How can we best support line managers and how to diagnose and develop a positive organisational climate of gender diversity
