How businesses can help mums to return to work
Diversity is a hot topic in our world right now, particularly in business. When we look at our industry, some agencies are working this out, however, whilst they know it’s important, many are yet to grasp the commercial benefit of a diverse workforce; how it increases innovation, creativity, productivity, loyalty, employee satisfaction, not to mention the available talent pool.
My personal passion is gender diversity in the creative industry, specifically at leadership level. As a seasoned HR profressional in the agency world, I know it’s this level that is most vulnerable to losing talent due to parenthood. So, one way to increase diversity in an agency is to become more parent friendly, and one of the easiest ways to be parent friendly is to facilitate a smooth transition for mums returning to work.
Fresh perspective
In early 2018, my work in this area was granted a fresh perspective; I became a Mum myself. Always highly respected as an empathetic HR person, I previously believed I understood the challenges of working mums. The birth of my own child gave me a startling reality check. I understand now why conversations between us (the business) and our employee (the mum) typically ended with both sides feeling frustrated, unsatisfied and with a feeling they haven’t been heard.
Talking to colleagues in the industry, these experiences are still the status. And so, in the spirit of encouraging diversity in the ageny world, here are six tips to re-think maternity to benefit everyone, taken from my experience of the two worlds colliding.
1. Give flexible working a try
Sometimes, it feels like flexible working and mum are synonymous. Perhaps because almost every woman I know has requested to or does work flexibly now they’re a mum. Why? Parents need flexibility to enable them to bring up their child (the next generation of your agency) and to manage childcare and excruciating childcare costs (in 2019, £85+ per day in London + £1 per minute after 6pm). It’s not because they care about their job any less.
When it comes to flexible working, it’s all too often a negative conversation between employer and employee. And this is surprising given the abundance of research that defies any notion that flexible working is a bad idea. It’s also an invaluable and inexpensive way for you to support mums (and other carers).
Flexible working comes in many different shapes and sizes and with an open mind and adult conversation, you can make it work for you, your employee and your clients. And if you’re in any doubt, simply trial the new arrangement for three months before you commit to it permanently.
2. Agree flexible working on a case-by-case basis
In discussions about flexible working I often hear refusal that comes with “if I do it for her, I’ll have to do it for others”. Whether a common misconception or a lazy response, it’s not true and it doesn’t help anyone.
Legally, you are well within your rights to take each case as it comes and review any request within the business circumstances at the time. By saying yes to one person, does not mean you are setting a precedent infinitum.
With this in mind, when a mum requests a different work pattern, first trust that her request is reasonable (after all, she’s the one doing the job and knows it’s demands and therefore, is best placed to know whether she can deliver it within the bounds of her request), and second, discuss the request with her in the context of your business right now. Be open and share the concerns you have, and then decide whether or not you can make it work.
3. Optimise keeping-in-touch days
Women can work up to 10 days during her maternity or adoption leave as ‘keeping in touch (KIT) days’, without it affecting any statutory pay. They are a brilliant way to support your employee to confidently transition back to business. Have a conversation with her and get creative about how she might use her KIT days.
Perhaps she can join an immersion day or an annual client review. Maybe she can attend training on the new CRM you’ve implemented while she’s been away. Maybe she can take a day in the office to clear the inevitable 1000+ emails that will have stacked up and to reacquaint herself with her commute, her team and her clients.
And KIT days aside, invite her to team and company events or socials; they’re a great way for her to stay engaged with the business. Keep in mind, she’ll only know about them if you invite her.
4. Offer her a maternity buddy
No woman’s maternity experience is ever the same, yet for most mums, returning to work after maternity or adoption leave is a tough transition - physically, mentally and emotionally.
You can provide invaluable support during this transition by linking a new mum with another mum in the business or industry. An experienced mum can offer reassurance and advice on the juggling act of work and childcare. She’ll give a new mum confidence and self-belief and can be a useful reality check.
A maternity buddy can also be a conduit to you; a voice to let you know if a new mum is struggling being back, and provide you with honest feedback, which her colleague may find difficult to share if she’s feeling vulnerable.
5. Take time to understand how you can best support her
You’ll likely have a maternity policy in place that informs how you manage maternity transitions. In my experience, it’ll only cover basic human needs. In order to return to work her best self, she’s going to need more.
Every mum is an individual with individual circumstances and will need something different to support her to perform at the highest standards. In my recent survey of over 200 women returners, this was some of the additional support they needed beyond the typical maternity policy: a clear work plan, return to work coaching to rebuild their confidence, access to post-natal support (Peppy, for example), a private room with a fridge for breast pumping and flexibility.
Have a conversation with your employee about what she needs and do all you can to accommodate this. You’ll get the return on your investment, and some.
6. Create a warm welcome
And finally, a small and very simple thing. Please give her a warm welcome back. By this I mean; make sure she has a workspace with pen and paper ready for her, make sure her IT and phone are set-up and working so that she can immediately access everything she needs, be there when she arrives to say hello, plan her first week back, send an agency-wide email welcoming her back and let everyone know what she’ll be working on. She may be an existing employee but a great deal has changed for you and her since she’s been away.
Tackling gender imbalance and diversity overall isn’t easy. However, supporting mums to return to work is an easy and highly cost effective place to start to make a positive difference to increasing gender balance in your agency and specifically, your leadership team. As a new mum, I’ve gained an abundance of skills and immense resilience invaluable to any business, especially one where change is every day and clients are ‘king’. I promise your investment will be worth it.
