Working Mums Just Aren't that Type

Working Mums Just Aren't that Type

It’s an exciting day for me here as some friends of ours celebrate the birth of their first today. There’s a constant sound of E-Bay notifications as my wife shops for gifts to shower the new little girl in our life with.

It is an exciting time. Right?

But for how long?

When it comes to mums returning to work after maternity leave the picture isn’t looking great. That’s according to the early summary I’ve seen today of a new piece of research by DPG.  According to this research, the emotions on returning to work are overwhelmingly negative which at worst include stress or depression. What frustrates me is when I read through the shocking stories that accompany this research...

‘My employer made me sign a new contract which demoted me and reduced my pay as they did not believe I would be suitable for my role now that I was a new parent. They told me they wanted more flexible people in the lead roles and working mums just weren't that type of person.’

When the full findings of this research by DPG are revealed, I’m pretty sure many will be outraged. 

So alongside revealing the disturbing set of statistics I think some good should be done. I’m hoping you can help with this bit. What I’d love to do is facilitate, here on the DPG Community, some sharing of best practice and ideas to stop these sorts of stories being a thing in the future.

It’s about time isn’t it?

I’m hoping you’ll join me by sharing some of the good stuff you know about or do in your organisations to support mums back into work. Flexible working, paid maternity leave and remote working are some commonly mentioned strategies by respondents in the research. Does your organisation have any of these? What else is done?

I’m genuinely keen to find out how organisations in the 21st century are helping those building families feel like they’re doing something entirely normal and human.

What can you share…..?

Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

Ady Howes - Community Manager, DPG

You need to be a member of DPG Community to add comments!

Join DPG Community

Comments

  • Hi Ady

    Unfortunately not a surprising read :-( 

    Returning to work after maternity leave brings so many difficulties; logistically, emotionally, financially and mentally, and many employers don't offer the support that parents need. I count myself as very lucky that I have had a different experience with my organisation; we're a small company, and I was the first employee to take maternity leave so we had little experience of how to handle it at the time and what would work best for all parties on my return to work. I now have a really strong balance of remote and flexible working, I enjoy my time in the office and get that interaction with my colleagues one day a week, and then can work round school hours from home for the rest of my contracted hours.

    I do realise that this isn't a situation that's available to everyone, and I hope that more employers will realise the benefits of flexibility and the two way trust and commitment and value that it can bring. A good friend of mine wasn't so lucky when she returned from her second maternity leave to be made redundant almost immediately, she found a lot of the resources and support from this online group (Pregnant then Screwed) very useful.

    Beth

    http://pregnantthenscrewed.com/
  • Hi Ady

    As a careers coach and mum myself, I am very familiar with stories like this. Women can face a battle getting back into work after a period of leave or even going back to the same company, in the same or different role. Not surprisingly, mums can lose confidence and become anxious, especially if they have been out of the work environment for some time. One of the reasons that I became self-employed was so I could have flexibility in my working hours, so I could spend time with my young children. This wasn't an option where I was working after the birth of my son. I was offered a part-time role but on a vastly reduced salary, which made it a no-brainer when I took travel time and costs into account.

    Fortunately I do hear lots of positive stories of women returning to work in fulfilling roles, quite often from participants in workshops. I think a lot depends on the values and culture of the company; if the environment already supports work/life balance, it isn't seen as being different to the 'norm'. I also see friends of mine returning to roles after being at home raising their children - it's inspiring. Mums have so much to offer in term of skills and wisdom and the knowledge they had doesn't disappear, just because they have had a baby!

    Companies are starting to offer schemes for mums returning to work, there are some examples here Returner programmes.

    Voluntary work can also help returning mums find their confidence about returning to work and can sometimes lead to something permanent and paid.

    It will be interesting to hear some positive stories, I am sure there are lots out there!

    Helen

    Returner Programmes
    • Hi Helen,

      Thanks for commenting and sharing your experience and as well for sharing the link to Working Mums. I'm sure many will find that useful.

      Isn't it a shame that organisations can't accomodate this very natural part of family development? Those organisations that support well are no doubt likely to increase the positive perceptions to those within the family and beyond. We all share stories don't we?...... 'My company have been very supportive by....{insert supportive nature of organisation here}'

      In contrast, I've no doubt that many families and friends will get to hear what a nightmare organisations have caused for some; perhaps stories that are more widely shared!

  • That’s a shocking bit of research, and although my experience isn’t quite on that level I’ve personally experienced negative comments. I returned to work from maternity leave 6 months ago on a 4 working day week as I have childcare issues on a Friday. Although my actual employer has been great I’ve received a lot of comments about part timers being “slackers” and “less committed to the role”. It frustrates me so much because it couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality what happens 9/10 is a full weeks work is being completed in less time and you end up working even harder than those in full time roles because you feel you have to prove your worth as a part timer and working mother.

    Businesses really do need to start being more flexible with working parents. I totally understand that jobs need to be completed, but if the job can be done from home why not promote home working more? We need to start recognising the work that is actually being produced rather than focusing on how many hours it takes to complete. 

    • Hi Toni,

      Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your thoughts and experiences. The part on 'part timers' working harder to prove themselves. It's a shame part time doesn't actually mean part time isn't it?

This reply was deleted.

Get Involved

Start a discussion in one of the following Zones