As report uncovers cases of women being undermined, gaslit and bullied after time off, experts emphasise the importance of line manager training
Half (51 per cent) of employees have had a negative experience returning to work after maternity leave, research by & Culture has found, leading to calls for employers to offer better support.
The How to support returning parents white paper explored the challenges mothers face when returning to work after having a baby, with respondents citing examples of gaslighting, bullying, redundancy, forced masking and a general lack of workplace support.
Of the 353 employees surveyed who had taken time out of work for maternity or adoption leave, just 17 per cent felt confident about returning, with 70 per cent experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety and dread about the change.
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Respondents said they were not provided with resources or proactive support during the return to work period, forcing them to “independently grapple with the challenges of balancing professional responsibilities with their evolving roles as caregivers”.
The report said this resulted in feelings of “anxiety, overwhelm and a sense that their employers were indifferent to their unique needs and circumstances” for many respondents.
Additionally, many returners cited “prolonged communication gaps, poor attitudes and a lack of support” from their line managers. “While some extreme examples of bullying and gaslighting did emerge, for the most part line managers were deemed ‘well intentioned’ but poor at execution,” the white paper found.
It said that a pervasive feeling of being undervalued or seen as an “inconvenience” emerged from the research, indicating a “deeper cultural issue” and leading mothers to feel “discouraged about their career prospects within the organisation”.
Many mothers also felt “deliberately excluded” from important discussions, with some experiencing “unexplained changes in their roles and responsibilities”, leading them to feel “unprepared and disorientated”.
“When parents return to work after a period of parental leave, they are literally a different person to who they were when they left,” said Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed.
She explained that “not only have they undergone one of the most intense, emotional and life-changing experiences of their life but, during pregnancy, a mother’s brain rewires – it is a transition as significant as puberty”.
While these brain changes will make mothers “stronger in the long run”, Brearley said the transition could be “fraught with challenge”. “The brain changes can impact the areas responsible for confidence and social interaction, which means that when she returns she is likely to feel unsteady, unsure of herself and in desperate need of camaraderie and support.
“If she doesn’t get what she needs at this point, then she will leave or become disengaged. But if an employer gets this period right she will be better than she was before.”
Clare Radford, founder and CEO of & Culture, agreed, telling People Management that returning to work after maternity leave was a “complex and delicate” time.
“I know from my own experience that mums are exhausted from lack of sleep, battling feelings of guilt about the choices they’re making and worried about whether they can still do their job – all while grappling with a fundamental shift in identity,” she said.
“Instead of being supported and celebrated as they step back into work, we’ve found that many mums are being subtly – and, in many cases, not so subtly – undermined, gaslit and even bullied. It’s no surprise that a huge percentage of women are choosing to leave their workplace in the years immediately following maternity leave.”
The findings coincided with recent research by Working Families that revealed inadequate parental leave and financial pressures were forcing UK parents back to work earlier than they would like. Two in five (40 per cent) mothers said they were unable to take the amount of time off they needed following childbirth, with half (48 per cent) attributing this to financial constraints.
A study released earlier this year by Bright Horizons also demonstrated the strain mothers returning to work were contending with, finding that nearly a third (29 per cent) of working parents were experiencing high or extreme levels of stress. Meanwhile, two thirds of mothers (62 per cent) and fathers (65) per cent reported that childcare disruptions had impacted their ability to work.
How can employers provide better support?
Verena Hefti, CEO and founder of Leaders Plus, told People Management that “the quality of a parent’s return to work experience hinges largely on the attitude and actions of their line manager”.
“While some managers are highly supportive, others are not – and unfortunately, there is often wide variation even within the same organisation,” she warned. “Supportive workplace policies, such as flexible working, are essential. But they are not enough on their own. The culture created by line managers – their words, tone and willingness to listen – makes all the difference.”
The report highlighted five “gamechangers” that employers should implement – the first of these being better line manager education. Ensuring they understand what returners are experiencing and what a good KIT day looks like and that they have the skills to handle return to work conversations sensibly is key, said Radford, adding that employers should also provide flexible working arrangements and ensure emotional support through coaching or a return to work programme is available.
She said it was important that they “empower returners with the skills and confidence to clearly articulate their needs”, as well as ensuring “access to a supportive network of other working parents who could empathise and help navigate the experience of returning”.
“Creating an employee-led network of working parents is a low-cost, high-return solution to foster a sense of support and belonging for returning parents,” Radford advised.