Parenting News: Working Mums Feel Employers Should Give More Flexibility

When many women return to work after childbirth they often find that they can no longer work in the position that they had before they went on maternity leave.

Instead, they are having to choose a less rewarding position to better suit their family needs, leaving many working mums unsatisfied in the workplace.

This has sparked 56 per cent of working mums to say that companies should guarantee women the same position when they return to work, but on a more flexible or part-time basis.

Two thirds of women feel that their career progression is affected by having a child, with a quarter of women admitting they have had to change careers to fit in with their family life.

A further one in four women said they have given up a professionally rewarding role for one that was better for their family and 6 per cent even admitted they have given up work altogether as they could not juggle the two.

Simon Lloyd, HR director at Santander UK who conducted the research, says, “These findings show that companies need to do more to help women achieve a suitable balance between family and work that allows them to achieve their career aspirations.

“We believe that the loss of talented, experienced women from Britain’s companies is one of the biggest challenges that need to be overcome if the UK is to compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.”

A third of mothers believe that companies should allow mums to work from home if their role isn’t fixed to a specific location.

A further 30 per cent believe that companies should tailor a plan to each mother for during a after their pregnancy so they can catch up on their career.

A quarter of all women, whether they have children or not believe that women should be given mentoring when they return to work to help them catch up.

Michelle Ryan, Professor of Social and Organisational Psychology, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Exeter University said, “Obviously many factors come into play for a woman planning a family, as each individual’s circumstances will be different.

“However, it’s clear that employers need to create workplaces which offer real flexibility that reflect the needs of today’s employees if we’re to see women appropriately represented at senior management level in the future.

“We need a step change in attitudes to flexible working in order to help create diverse businesses that fully reflect society.”

Have you started a family? Have your workplace been supportive of your changes? Let us know by commenting below or tweeting us @FemaleFirst_UK

by Cara Mason for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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