Parents returning to work who receive coaching or mentoring find their feet much faster than those who don’t, suggests research by Nicki Seignot and Jane Moffett into what helps and hinders parents when they return to work after parental leave.
Key ingredients for successful support of returner parents include flexible working, keeping good lines of communication open, planned onboarding and setting realistic expectations about getting back up to speed, line manager support, career plans in the context of parenting, and employer support for breastfeeding, says the report.
The report has been endorsed by Jess Phillips MP and Gillian Keegan MP, co-chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group of Women and Work, a cross-party group that provides a forum to examine and discuss the role of employers and policy makers to deliver gender balance.
Coaching and mentoring were found to validate returner parents’ experiences, boost their connections with other working parents, help them with leaving and returning to work, and boost confidence around asking for what they need to be happy on their return, according to the survey of 423 respondents (98% women) in 23 different industry sectors.
Only 10% of respondents to the survey had received coaching, mentoring or support from networks, although of those that didn’t receive any, 83% wished they had.
Returner respondents were asked how long it had taken for them to feel truly ‘back’ in work mode. Some 60% felt ‘back’ after three months with additional support, compared with just 39% without support. At the six-month point, 90% of those supported felt up and running, as opposed to 68% who’d received no additional support, according to the report, Policies and Practices through the Prism of Working Parenthood:
- See the full report: http://bit.ly/2SVAjDB