Successful Mums > Employers

Back to work without a bump...

Maternity coaching can help women manage the transition back into the workplace.

Recent research has shown that many women employees are not returning to work or are not working to their full potential after having children. This can place a huge pressure on companies who are losing skilled and experienced staff, who have often taken a break at the height of their professional careers.

Many women are unsure as to how to handle the changes in their career. They feel overwhelmed by pressures and unable to make the 'right' choice. If they have taken a maternity break, often of up to a year, they may have confidence issues upon returning to work.

Maternity coaching is designed to help women and employers maximise potential of women returning to the workplace. Coaching can be integrated into Keepting in Touch days (under the Work and Families Act 2006) alongside meetings with team and managers.

Coaching allows women to 'hit the ground running' upon their return to work. It identifies expectations of both employers and women and helps women manage successfully the work-life balance. Women do not lose interest in their career when they have babies. They don't necessarily want to have a less pressured job and may end up quickly dissatisfied if they feel they are on a mummy-track and will be bypassed for promotion.

By identifying what women want, and by challenging assumptions of returning women and employers, coaching will allow women to maintain a sense of themselves as valued employees and for employers to work with women's skills and strengths within a context of change.