With the controversy over zero hours contracts hitting the headlines on a daily basis, a number of other employment issues have been brought to the fore now that the recession is over and job security is a little more assured. One of the key issues this week has been raised by working mothers, who claim that they are often discriminated against in favour of childless colleagues.
In a poll of 1,975 women undertaken by legal firm Slater and Gordon, it was found that around a third of respondents are struggling to climb the career ladder despite the fact that 35 per cent claim to have worked harder since giving birth. Additionally, 54 per cent of respondents do not believe their employers do enough to support working mothers.
The issue has become so prominent that England’s employment minister, Jo Swinson, has entered into the discussion. She points out that the law protects mothers from being made redundant due to a pregnancy or dedication to parental responsibilities.
She continues; “The government is committed to making sure that more businesses make the best use of women’s talents throughout the organisation, from boardroom to the shop floor.
“This is why from April 2015 we’re introducing shared parental leave and pay which will allow couples to choose how they share care for their child in the first year after birth.”
However, employers surveyed believe that businesses today have become better at working around maternity leave and settling working mothers back into the office routine.
Director of employment and skills at the CBI, Neil Carberry, says; “We don’t recognise the picture painted here.
“Our experience is that the workplace has changed fundamentally over the past 30 years – businesses are better at managing maternity leave and reintegrating mothers on their return.”
In many cases, businesses have adapted to the lifestyle of the working mothers among their staff by introducing flexible working initiatives for all employees. This means that should a doctor’s appointment, school event or illness force a parent to take time out from the office, they can either work from home or adjust their office hours in order to complete missed tasks.
This also has the advantage of including childless workers who may have elderly relatives to care for or urgent appointments of their own. Best of all, such initiatives have been shown to boost workplace morale and maximise output thanks to a lowering number of sick days or holidays taken at short notice.
Netmums co-founder, Siobhan Freegard, believes that businesses adopting such schemes will reap the benefits of their forward-thinking.
She says; “The smartest companies are beginning to address the issue with ideas like flexible working, remote working and job shares.
“These companies know it’s cheaper and more efficient to pay maternity leave and get back a committed employee who knows the business.”
Does your business offer flexible working options for working mothers and, if not, are you considering bringing a similar scheme in?
