The industry needs to do more to support women returning to work after maternity leave, according to Hayley Hubble, founder of Coach and Consult.
Speaking to FT Adviser, Hubble discussed the work she does as a career coach and how she collaborates with firms in the sector to improve their wellbeing strategies.
Hubble explained there were a lot of mums who had returned to their jobs after maternity leave but were struggling because of the lack of support offered by their employers.
She said: “A lot of managers and leaders aren’t tooled up or resourced with how to manage that return effectively and it’s a huge gap. Some 85 per cent of people who have returned to work after career breaks need support but they’re missing it.
“Yes, there are companies in the sector offering great return to work schemes for people re-entering the workforce but in terms of mental and emotional support from a wellbeing perspective, especially for those going back to a specific role, more work needs to be done.”
According to Hubble, 85 per cent of mums will leave the workforce within three years of childbirth with one of the biggest reasons being a lack of support.
“When you’re a mum there are a whole host of things you need to juggle like childcare, the logistics of pick up and drop offs, sickness and that is a lot of pressure.
“The other thing is so many mums come to me going through imposter syndrome. So there’s an emotional side to it as well.
"You don't know who you are anymore and you lose your identity. Your whole world changes overnight and you're navigating that so then when coming back to work, women just need a bit of guidance and support and figuring out what that looks like,” she added.
Talent retention
Hubble explained having wellbeing strategies in place to offer that emotional support to women would help to retain female talent.
She said: “Having the correct support mechanisms in place from a company and for them to understand, to empathise and give working mums that extra support would also help the company to retain them and not lose good talent.
“Just because you become a mum or just because you become a parent doesn't mean that you're not ambitious anymore. It's just maybe a different style and a different type of ambition and they need help to navigate it.”
Hubble said it was also important to support women going through what she liked to call ‘return-to-work moments’.
“People go through life transitions, for example menopause. All women are going to go through menopause and a huge percentage are leaving their jobs because they're not supported through it.
“There are lots of different aspects of what I like to call return-to-work. It doesn't just have to be after an extended break or if you become a parent.
