Written by Dr Emma Waltham | Parental Returners Expert
Many of our clients have expectant or returning mums working in front-line, operational roles – often working shifts or unsociable hours. One of the themes that frequently comes up is how employers can support their working mums to continue on their career pathways, while working in a role that at times seems incompatible with caring for young children.
This year, at Returning Works® we’ve been busy delivering parental awareness workshops and webinars for clients in various sectors – from technology to construction and engineering.
Our clients know that they need to retain and develop their maternity returners, and are keen to remove barriers to participation and development.
Many of our clients have expectant or returning mums working in front-line, operational roles – often working shifts or unsociable hours. One of the themes that frequently comes up is how employers can support their working mums to continue on their career pathways, while working in a role that at times seems incompatible with caring for young children.
Operational roles – incompatible with family life?
Due to their very nature, operational roles aren’t always family-friendly. It’s difficult to arrange childcare if you’re working outside of traditional office hours, and a front-line role doesn’t always lend itself to flexible hours or working from home. Often, when both parents work shifts – particularly if they’re employed by the same organisation – this puts considerable pressure on family life and childcare arrangements.
During pregnancy, many women are redeployed to alternative roles for health and safety reasons; while this is necessary, it means expectant and returning mums are putting their careers on hold for up to 18 months during pregnancy and maternity leave - potentially missing out on training, development and opportunities for promotion that will limit their careers in the longer term.
Employers: are their hands tied?
This puts employers in a really tough position; how can they balance the operational requirements of their business while retaining their working mums? Realistically, many employers can’t provide an on-site creche, and they can’t change the nature of the job or redeploy all working parents to more family-friendly roles.
Taking action: things employers can do
OK, so what can employers and line managers do to make operational roles work for expectant and returning mums?
Be creative - Instead of redeployment to an unrelated “back office” role during pregnancy, be creative and consider other options. Could expectant mothers take part in a training programme or CPD that will help develop their careers after maternity leave? With thought and planning, employers can transform this period into a positive time that will help maternity returners continue on their career pathways when they return.
Fairness and transparency – In our conversations with working mums, we often hear complaints that flexible working requests and family-friendly policies are implemented “at the whim of my line manager”. Employers can make a big difference by ensuring that their processes and policies are fair, transparent and accessible. As yourself, are flexible working requests handled consistently across departments and teams?
Culture – Creating a welcoming, inclusive working culture is key to retaining working parents. Does your organisation foster a sense of allyship and empathy among colleagues towards returning mums? Are mums being treated with empathy and dignity? Is your workplace one where working parents will want to stay, and continue their careers?
Line managers – Having a consistent, fair and approachable line manager is “make or break” when it comes to creating a positive experience for maternity returners. Do your line managers have the experience and ability to handle difficult conversations? Do they act with tact and empathy? Are they aware of unconscious – often well-meaning – biases that could be holding back your returning mums?
While your line manager may not be able to alter shift patterns or change the nature of a role, the way they handle it will make a big difference.
Policies – In our conversations with employers, they often tell us that they simply cannot meet all requests for flexible working. It may be worth reviewing your company’s family-friendly policies, and seeing if they are benefiting the right people.
Start a conversation
If you’d like to help support your returning mums working in front-line or operational roles, our Parental Allyship Webinars are ideal. Send us a message and start a conversation about how we can work together to engage and develop your returning mums.
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