Pregnancy in the workplace and the maternity leave that follows is one of a working mother’s greatest concerns, yet it can sometimes be overlooked as such an important time to their employers. Whether the time is simply overlooked, needs are misunderstood, or even discrimination occurs, far too many employers are missing the mark. Not only are employers causing unnecessary frustration for soon-to-be and new moms and putting their organization at risk for legal issues, but they are also passing up a significant opportunity to show employees that they are important and valued.
Help your employees make the most of this time in their lives and careers and consequently prepare yourself as an employer by focusing your efforts on these three things.
First and foremost, it’s vital that your organization does not exhibit any discriminatory behavior when employing women who are pregnant and new mothers. Discrimination of this type typically doesn’t occur outright in a black-and-white manner, but instead occurs when employers almost subconsciously allow that knowledge to affect hiring and promotion decisions. Aside from the moral and legal implications, this behavior also signifies to the rest of your workforce that this type of discrimination is okay. When you draw a line of zero tolerance for discrimination, employees will be much more likely to follow suit.
While it can be hard not to focus on only the time that an employee will be off work and the duty modifications that may be necessary during pregnancy, it’s extremely shortsighted to do so. When you have an employee who provides positive contributions, the temporary difficulty of handling the workload without them is a small sacrifice to make. By asking them to handle pregnancy and motherhood in an unsupportive work environment, you could potentially be ruining a positive employer/employee relationship or preventing one from being established.
Any mother can tell you that just because maternity leave is over doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing. In fact, the first few weeks and even months back at work after giving birth is one of the most trying times of a woman’s life. The expectations and stresses of home and work are amplified by their new responsibility and all that comes along with welcoming a new child. Let your employees know that the support doesn’t end when maternity leave does. Be considerate of the need for flexible schedules, work-from-home options, easing back into work, and having time to take care of lactation needs. Going the extra mile during this time can encourage loyalty that you just can’t buy.
How do you plan to up your organization’s support during pregnancy, maternity leave, and heading back to work? Let us know in the comments section below.
5 Comments
Inadequate management of maternity leave is one of the reasons why employers are losing women talent. This is a complex issue and sometimes it’s hard to handle it because of the strong emotional part that implies.
An employer should take into consideration that women already face challenges such as leaving the baby home, returning to the office, expensive costs of childcare, emotional sensitivity. So, it’s really important that maternity leave be managed effectively; employers should not put more pressure on returning mums. Patience is the key skill for this kind of situation.
Many people think that maternity leave means total disconnection from work but things can be different if employers know to manage this. Women should be kept informed about work situation during maternity leave. This is how they will remain engaged to their work. Before leaving the workplace, employers should have a discussion with the future mom about maternity leave needs and goals. Employers may be surprised but many future mothers will be interested in receiving monthly reports and be consulted on important decisions. Constantly keeping women in touch with the work environment will guarantee a successful maternity leave absence and a fresh return to office.
Managing pregnancy and maternity leave is not easy at all. I’ve met many employers who were really scared to have a conversation with their pregnant employees. In general, they were concerned about the potential legal risks and misunderstanding from the side of the employees in question. That is why they preferred not to have a discussion at all. Well, from this moment problems can begin. The pregnant employee goes on maternity leave without knowing what will happen while she is not at the office or when she will return. Consequently, I always suggest employers to have a sincere conversation to put in place all employees concerns.
Yes, it is hard to work with pregnancy, but you can manage your pregnancy by following above-mentioned tips. Thanking you so much author to share this wonderful information.