Supporting Parents to Integrate Back into The Workplace Following a Career Break

Jessica Dennien

Career breaks are inevitable in most people’s working lives. Whether it be time off to start a family, travel, study or change career paths, having a break in your career is likely to happen at some point. But how do you integrate back into the workplace after months or even years off work?

Returning to work can seem like a daunting prospect to a person who has just spent months, or even years, away from the workplace occupying their brain space with things completely different to their usual day-today work. This anxiety can be worse for parents returning to work, as they, not only have to refamiliarise themselves with technical knowledge and understand any changes that may have occurred, but also need to overcome the guilt of leaving their child/ren with strangers and juggle pick-ups and drop-offs (especially with kindergarten aged children). This can be a reason for parents, specifically mothers, to choose alternate career paths after having children.

It is not new information that women represent an underutilised and undervalued talent pool in STEM careers. In addition, the work culture and systems currently in place in many STEM workplaces do not provide support for women to confidently return to work following maternity leave.

This is not only detrimental to the women who lose engagement in the workforce, but also to businesses that experience significant talent loss. This should be concerning to employers who are experiencing these types of losses as they are losing an investment when talent and intellectual property leave their business.

The Statistics

A study from the Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) compares wages of men and women within 5 years of graduation. The study is based on graduates from 2011 and shows that women who took time off to have children earned less in full time positions than those that did not take a break. This same data also shows that men who took a break to have children generally did not earn less than their counterparts who did not take a break, except in higher paying positions. The study also shows that men who worked part-time generally earned more than women working part-time regardless of whether they were working part-time due to having a new child or not.

Figure 1: Full-time income of men and women after taking parental leave Vs no break from work

Figure 2: Part-time income of men and women after taking parental leave Vs no break from work

The Supporting Working Parents: Pregnancy and Return to Work National Review 2014 delivered by the Australian Human Rights Commission shows:

• Almost half (49%) of mothers experienced some form of workplace discrimination while pregnant, on leave or returning to work from parental leave

• Over a third (36%) of mothers experienced this discrimination upon their return to work

• Almost one in five (18%) mothers reported that they were made redundant, restructured, dismissed or their contract was not renewed either during their pregnancy, when they requested or took parental leave or when they returned to work

• Nearly a third (32%) who were discriminated against resigned or sought a new job

• 84% of mothers who experienced discrimination reported a negative impact on their health, finances, career and job opportunities as a result of the discrimination

Whilst these statistics do not paint a great picture for women wanting to start a family, it does show that workplaces can do a lot more to support mothers when they return to work following parental leave.

Figure 3: Australian Human Rights Commission 2014 discrimination against mothers data

Supporting Parents to Transition back into the Workplace

Transitioning back into the workplace after a career break can be challenging, but there are a few things that employers can do to support their workers and make the transition as smooth as possible.

1. Know your employees’ rights

In Australia, the Fair Work Ombudsman allows for every employee to take 12 months of unpaid maternity or parental leave and return to work after the birth or adoption of their child. The Fair Work Act 2009 ensures the employee has a right to return to the same job, on the same working conditions after their parental leave. If they want to engage in a different working arrangement, such as part-time hours, this is subject to negotiation.

The Australian Human Rights Commission states employers must treat workers returning from parental leave fairly. The Fair Work Commission helps employees and employers negotiate, and processes applications relating to unlawful termination.

2. Keep in touch

Support new parents whilst on parental leave by keeping conversation lines open and ensuring that they are aware of any informal events such as lunches or dinners for staff leaving or celebrations. I would often attend lunches and dinners with my new baby in tow. It was a great opportunity to get out of the house and stay in contact with colleagues and meet any new starters when they first start. Informal events can also be an excellent opportunity for new parents on leave to stay in the loop of what is happening in the workplace during their parental leave and prepare for any potential challenges before officially returning to work.

Keeping the lines of communication open also allows for employees nervous about their return to start communications early. It’s important to have conversations about arrangements that might be needed in relation to breastfeeding or expressing, time off for sick children, and flexible working arrangements, etc.

3. Support flexible work arrangements

To retain the talent and expertise of mothers in the STEM field, we need to debunk the myth that women who seek flexible work arrangements are less ambitious. This cannot be further from the truth. In fact, they simply take different routes to achieve their goals; they make sacrifices and rethink the way they work. In my experience, mothers working under flexible work arrangements are more efficient, organised, and productive than their full-time counterparts; simply because they must be, and this can be a great asset to a company.

A change in mindset may be required. Rather than measuring a person’s success on the number of hours they spend in the office, measure it by the work they complete. If work is being completed, does it matter if the person is only working 20 hours a week, or works most of their time at home?

4. Be patient and kind

Transitioning back into the workplace is tough. No one should be expected to get it right all the time, so do not put that kind of pressure on yourself or your employee. Ensure your employee is making time to look after their mental and physical health. If you notice any changes in their behaviour, ask them if they are ok and support them to get any help they may need.

R U OK provides fantastic resources and support about how to have this difficult conversation - How to ask “Are you OK?” | R U OK?

How Parents can Improve their Transition back into the Workplace

Along with the above suggestions for employers, there are also some things that parents can do to help ease the stress of returning to work following parental leave.

1. Organise childcare early

Whether you are planning on using a daycare centre, a family daycare or friends and family, making sure these arrangements are set in stone well before your planned return to work will help put your mind at ease. There can also be long waitlists at some daycare centres, so if you have your mind set on one, enrol early.

If you choose a daycare facility, it is recommended to do a few play dates, so that you can get to know the educators and they can get to know you and your child. Also, do one or two test days to tackle the stress of leaving your child with strangers for the first time without the added stress of it being your first day back at work after parental leave.

2. Ask for help

No one expects you to be able to do it all! Asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of. Most employers are fair on their staff and realise that raising a child and working isn’t easy. There may be times when you think it’s all too much, but push through those difficult days and you will find you are able to enjoy your career again.

Once you have your routine sorted, you may even start to appreciate the small freedoms that come with returning to work, like being able to enjoy a cup of tea/coffee, having an adult conversation that is not all about your children, or going to the toilet without interruptions!

Supporting career advancement for working parents

As reported by the Australian Human Rights Commission, 27% of the mothers who experienced discrimination upon their return to work felt it as part of performance assessments and career advancement opportunities.

According to the 2019-20 Workplace Gender Equality Agency dataset, only 18.3% of chief executive roles in Australia are held by women, and men outnumber women on boards by almost three to one. So how can employees and employers work together to allow mothers to continue to advance their career without expecting them to put work before the needs of their family?

1. Acknowledge the skills people gain when they become parents

A common misconception heard is that women who take time off to have children don’t advance their managerial skills while those who remain in the workplace do. However, as many would know, managing small versions of yourself requires an immense amount of strength, energy, resilience, patience, problemsolving, multi-tasking, and the self-control and negotiation skills of a bomb diffusing expert.

Whilst these skills aren’t learnt on the job, both employees and employers should acknowledge the growth of these skills in parents when evaluating candidates for management positions.

2. Accept that managers don’t have to work 70 hours a week to be effective managers

School pick-up and drop-off, swimming lessons, football practice, dance lessons, cooking dinner, making sure bills are paid on time and keeping the house somewhat presentable. It sounds like a lot, even before factoring in that it all must happen outside of work hours.

Managing your time outside of work hours also helps you to learn how to use your time in work hours most efficiently. So, if you are managing your time well and delegating effectively, there is nothing stopping you from moving up the ranks while working reasonable hours.

3. Support continued development while on maternity leave

A commitment to continued development is a requirement for professional engineers and this commitment doesn’t need to take a break just because you are not in the office. Keeping up to date with current technical standards and guidelines, expanding on your knowledge with webinars or TED Talks, and attending conferences will all help to reduce any impacts of a career break. It is recommended that organisations continue to support parents attending suitable CPD opportunities even whilst not in the workplace.

If you are not already a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland, use this time to log your CPD and focus some effort on obtaining that title before you are trying to balance work and family life, and time becomes a more valuable resource.

Looking for Support?

If you’re looking for information and support, the Supporting Working Parents website is a great Australian Government initiative that could help.