Around an eighth (12.3%) of working mothers are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant while pregnant, on maternity leave or when returning from maternity leave, according to data released yesterday (27 February) by Pregnant Then Screwed, a charity advocating for the rights of pregnant women and mothers.
Scaling up this statistic to the general population, this could mean that up to 74,000 women a year are being forced to leave their job, a 37% increase from 54,000 in 2016.
Joeli Brearley, who founded Pregnant Then Screwed, emphasised the importance of being a supportive employer for working mothers as they return from maternity leave, so that people in that position feel appreciated when they return to the workplace.
She told HR magazine: “When women return to work after maternity leave it's a really vulnerable time. They’ve been through a big transition and so they're not the same person they were before becoming a mother.
“This is the point they need a supportive environment and employer, and that means implementing a well-considered transition back to work, listening to their needs and being as flexible as possible.”
HR leaders and employers should arrange peer-to-peer support and training for women who have returned from maternity leave, as well as arranging the necessary meetings with colleagues, clients and stakeholders, according to Brearley.
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Louise Webster, founder of Beyond the School Run, a platform connecting parents with their skills and talents, agreed that employers can support women who are pregnant and women who are returning from maternity leave by offering flexible working.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “There is a period of time when flexibility is needed – and the early stages is it. I think it is important for the value of parenting to be recognised, so that when a mother or father leaves at 3pm for school pick-up, it is respected.”
Communication should be key between employers and women who are returning from maternity leave, according to Laura Biggs, CEO of Women in Work, a platform advocating for equal policies for women in the workplace.
Biggs told HR magazine: “HR should be proactive in having open conversations. This isn’t just about legal obligations, it’s about actively checking in on how women feel about their career trajectory before, during, and after maternity leave.
“Support should be tailored. Some women may want a phased return; others may prefer to jump straight back in. A simple check-in, a newsletter update, or a keeping-in-touch day can make a huge difference, but it should always be optional.”
Read more: If we aren’t tracking flexible working… what’s the point?
Pregnant Then Screwed has advocated for companies to increase their paternity leave offer, create family-friendly workplaces and to put a higher emphasis on the benefits of flexible working.
Advocating for paternity leave is something all companies should be doing and is an easy way to support female employees who are planning on taking maternity leave, according to George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, an organisation campaigning for better paternity leave in the UK.
He told HR magazine: “We know that the single biggest driver of the gender pay gap, and of much discrimination against mothers, is the wildly inadequate paternity leave offered to most dads and non-birthing partners.
“If HR professionals want to help stamp out maternity discrimination for good, they can take a vital step by increasing paternity offers, levelling the playing field, and so removing any reason to discriminate against women in the first place."
