Why Hiring Mums is Good for Business

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2024, it will take 134 years to reach full parity, sounding a call to action for policymakers, public and private sector leaders across the world to enable change.

Additionally, research from Nobel Prize winner Claudia Goldin on women’s labour market outcomes suggests that inflexible work structures and motherhood, affects women’s earnings when compared with male peers, reinforcing that we cannot bridge the gap without addressing the integration of mothers in the workforce.?

How can we accelerate progress?

Drawing inspiration from the extensive research available on gender equality, the Beyond Careers Return to Work trends survey uncovers the challenges experienced by mothers in the workforce, tackling confidence levels, support systems, and hiring bias, among other factors affecting their career choices.

We believe that the solution lies in a two-fold approach and taking collective action towards a shared mission.??

On one hand, we must encourage women to advocate for themselves, supporting them in their choices with care and compassion, whatever they may decide.??

The Beyond Careers Return-to-Work trends report nearly 80% of women experience a lack of confidence returning to the workplace after a career break.?

At the same time, decision makers must discover for themselves that hiring mothers is not only a good thing to do but can be beneficial to the bottom line.?

Benefits to Organisations

1. Access to an Untapped Talent Pool: Women with young children are likely to be mid-career, some of whom leave the workforce either temporarily or permanently due to inadequate support systems. Meaning that forward thinking employers could gain access to experienced, albeit time restricted talent, who can hit the ground running with potential cost savings in exchange for flexible working hours or fractional arrangements.?

2. Scalability: By exploring the fit and formats that work best to deliver on organisational objectives, businesses can tap into mid-senior level talent for special projects during peak periods or to complement existing skill and resourcing gaps that can help them scale quickly and cost-effectively without the commitment of full-time overheads in the first instance.?

3. Corporate Reputation and Employer Branding: Hiring women and mothers forms an integral part of an organisation’s diversity and inclusion efforts - highlighting their commitment towards accelerating socio-economic progress, in line with national mandates and talent attraction ambitions. Over half of our survey respondents have said that increased participation of women in C-Suite and executive positions would positively impact their perception of an organisation.

4. Increased Retention: Companies that are backed by supportive employee-centric systems, policies and procedures naturally develop a strong company culture and see greater loyalty and retention rates among their employees.?

5. Diverse Perspectives and Transferable Skills: And last but certainly not least, ask a mum on any given day and she will tell you how many tabs she has open in her mind and how many tasks she has accomplished within a set number of hours. Often, on limited resources.?

Mums are natural multi-taskers, resourceful budget and project managers and bring a wealth of perspective, skills and empathy to any interaction.?

The Way Forward

While flexible or hybrid arrangements are among the most sought-after benefits for working mothers, employers must be mindful of the entire employee experience and initiatives that can be implemented practically to support returnees in their journey, while delivering on their organisational objectives.

Here are a few ways in which companies can attract, develop and retain female talent.

? Returnships?

More than two-thirds of the Beyond Careers Return to Work survey respondents stated that Returnships could help ease the transition for women re-entering the workforce after a career break. These programmes typically offer structured learning and development opportunities to refresh skills and introduce new industry updates.

? Coaching & Mentoring?

Additionally, pairing returnees with in house or external mentors through formal coaching and mentorship programmes can provide invaluable guidance and support in navigating workplace dynamics and setting career goals.?

? Flexibility

Flexibility means different things to different people. Arrangements such as remote/hybrid work, job-share, and compressed workweeks, can be leveraged to address talent requirements, while offering candidates an opportunity to find work that fits with their current priorities and commitments. 76.8% of the Beyond Careers Return to Work Survey respondents rated Flexibility extremely important to them.?

? Career Development

Transparent career pathways and advancement opportunities ensure that women returning to work receive equal access to professional growth and development, enhancing their long-term career prospects within the organisation.?

Family-friendly policies, including extended parental leave and on-site feeding and childcare facilities, can further alleviate the logistical challenges faced by working parents, fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Conclusion

Explored on their own or as part of a more holistic approach, there are several strategies that not only support women rejoining the workforce, but also cultivate company cultures that are supportive, collaborative and growth oriented.?

The key to accelerating progress we believe, is to increase education and awareness around the implementation of employee centric policies and new ways of working, emphasising the HUMAN element in Human Resources.?

Click here to view the Return-to-Work Survey Findings 2024

Written by: Rowen Astrom , NLP Business Coach & Founder of Beyond Careers