Maternity/Return to Work Coaching
- What is it?
- Do your employees Want Maternity Coaching?
- The Six Important Benefits to You
- How Does it Work?
- What Do We Cover?
What is it?
Maternity coaching (also known as Return to Work Coaching) provides employees the support they need before, during and after their maternity leave so that they feel equipped to deal with the demands and challenges of having a baby and the juggling involved in being a working mother.
Whilst the role of business coaching in helping staff through important transitions such as promotion and new roles is widely recognised, maternity coaching is a new idea. We iron out the issues with women and their employers before they become a problem.
The coaching programme itself can be tailored to your company’s particular needs and preferences.
Back to maternity coaching menuDo your employees want maternity coaching?
Yes: In October 2007, Corporate Mothers carried out a major “Return to Work” survey across over 1,000 mothers. Respondents voted overwhelmingly in favour of a coaching programme to support them when they returned to work: 75% of respondents said they would have taken advantage of a coaching programme had it been available.
There has been much written about the benefits of coaching in the business world. We speak from experience only. Through our coaching programmes our ultimate aim is to raise individuals' awareness of themselves and to drive personal responsibility. Through this process our clients benefit from:
- Structured career planning and progression
- Increased perception of their value to the organisation
- Positive work life balance
- Desire to achieve best possible solutions for both herself and her company
- Accelerated learning and a decrease of the “getting back up to speed” curve when returning to work
- Raised confidence
- Greater sense of perspective
- Sense of own value
- Realisation of personal values and priorities
- Increased self motivation
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The six important benefits to you
1. Impact on your bottom line
For any business, this must be the primary consideration. The illustration below shows an example based on an “average” employee with figures from the CIPD.
| A | B | C |
| Average cost of replacing an employee (source: CIPD) | Average cost of maternity Coaching Programme for one woman for one year with Corporate Mothers | Average saving to your bottom line (A-B) |
| £8,200 | £1,900 | £3,600 |
In reality, the figure in column A is likely to be much higher: Experts estimate the cost of losing a professional woman at between three and five times her salary in terms of finding and training a replacement, disruption to business, loss of experience and loss of clients.
2. Improved retention of staff
Resignation rates among female professionals are at a five-year high (National Management Salary Survey). The number of sex discrimination and equal pay cases has also soared, exceeding 28,000 and 44,000, respectively, between 2006 and 2007.
New mothers tend to need more support over the major transition period of returning to work. Meeting this need via maternity coaching support helps them to overcome challenges and feel valued: Women are much more likely to remain loyal to a company that demonstrates its understanding of their challenges.
One of the respondents in our survey summed this up when she commented;
“I cannot imagine ever leaving a company that would offer this level of support”.
3. Improved Performance
It can take working mothers up to 18 months to feel that they are functioning as effectively as before. Coaching support can reduce this transition period to 6 months. Our “Return to Work” survey revealed that 69% felt anxious about returning to work, with 46% feeling less confident than before. The personal and unique combination of practical and emotional support provided by our specialist coaching reduces anxiety and increases confidence in new mothers, thus increasing performance.
4. Proactive planning of cover for the maternity leave period
The maternity coaching process facilitates structured planning between coachee and employer. This enables you to manage client expectations, ensure continuity of service and to set clear expectations for the maternity leaver’s colleagues.
5. Agreement of communications plan
One of the difficulties faced by employers is how to communicate – and how much to communicate – to an employee on maternity leave. The coaching environment offers a non-threatening and constructive way of setting out the frequency and method of communications over maternity leave. The importance of this is generally overlooked.
6. Positive image as an employer of choice for working parents
As mentioned earlier, women will account for 80% growth in the UK workforce over the next few years and by 2010, one in five workers will be mothers. Employers who demonstrate their willingness to support and encourage this growing demographic will be sought after by the most talented job-seeker.
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How does it Work?
At Corporate Mothers we usually conduct between four to six maternity coaching sessions over the course of a year to eighteen months. The coaching sessions are scheduled before, during and after maternity leave. Usually the first and the last coaching sessions are held face-to-face. The middle four sessions are held over the telephone: This method has proven cost effective for the business and convenient for the coachee.
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What Do We Cover During Maternity Coaching Sessions?
Coaching sessions typically cover the following areas:
Before maternity leave:
- Making the announcement
- Managing the handover
- Planning for contingencies, such as a premature birth
- Deciding on whether and how to keep in touch
- Maintaining relationships
- Dealing with personal anxieties
During maternity leave :
- Keeping in touch
- Working on confidence levels
- Thinking about strengths and weaknesses
- Getting up to speed with projects
- Reconnecting with key stakeholders
- Thinking about future work patterns
After maternity leave:
- Visibility upon return to work
- Re-integrating into the company
- Setting boundaries
- Prioritising and managing relationships
- Establishing a work life balance
