Over half of parents worry about returning to work and missing out on key moments in their child’s life
A study has revealed that it takes parents a solid four months to get back into the swing of things at work after returning from parental leave. The survey, which polled 1,000 working mums and dads with tots under five, discovered that over half fretted about missing out on their child’s milestones due to work commitments.
In fact, a whopping nine in ten even toyed with the idea of not going back to work at all. It also came to light that 59% were anxious about balancing work and parenting, while 39% were uncertain about how they would handle the shift.
The research was commissioned by Vodafone, who offer any employee coming back from parental leave the chance to work 80% of their hours for full pay, benefits and holiday for the first six months back on the job as part of its family-related leave policy.
Interestingly, the study found that a staggering 77% of parents surveyed weren’t clued up on policies similar to Vodafone’s, but a massive 91% said they would jump at the chance if it was offered at their own workplace.
According to economic modelling by Development Economics £10 billion could be injected into the economy and 440,000 parents could re-join the workforce if these policies were rolled out more widely.
Michelle Kennedy is the CEO of online parenting community, Peanut, who are teaming up with Vodafone to encourage UK businesses to rethink their workplace policies.
Michelle commented: “Parents bring immense value to the workplace, and as the study shows, essential skills don’t disappear when you have a baby; they sharpen.
“When you support parents properly, everyone wins – families, businesses, and the economy alike.”
The study revealed that 42% of parents returning to work struggled to grapple with managing timings and logistics such as nursery pickups and childcare, often resulting in late working hours.
Consequently, a staggering 77% felt ‘burnt out’ upon their return to work, with the average working parent reaching this point after just four weeks.
“Returning to work after parental leave is one of the hardest transitions parents have to make,” added Michelle, “They are expected to just snap back – to their job, career ambitions and the people they were before – when in reality, everything has changed.”
“The support to make this transition easier is still rare that’s why policies such as Vodafone’s 80/20 matter,” she added.
Data from OnePoll.com also spotlighted the ‘parent penalty’, with 45% ceasing to apply for new roles post-childbirth due to lack of necessary support in potential jobs.
Clearly, this support is crucial for the majority, as 78% of parents reported that flexible working leads to a better work-life balance, and 68% noticed an improvement in their mental wellbeing.
Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer at Vodafone UK, stated: “Better productivity, improved time management, increased ability to multitask our study shows just some of the skills working parents bring to an organisation.
“But businesses have a responsibility to ensure the right support is in place for parents returning to work.”