Maternity & Career Coaching

Supporting working women is essential to attract and retain talented mothers. 94% of working parents say when choosing between employers they'll compare the level of parent support*.

We offer 1:1 maternity and career coaching to help with the transition from working woman to working mum. As women now become mothers later in their career, they're typically with an organisation longer and hold more senior positions.

The way we provide maternity coaching is unique, and saves employers money. We combine our coaching with the best practical support from our childcare & maternity consultants. This means mothers receive exactly the right support when they need it most. For employers it means a more effective coaching offering at a lower cost.

How does Maternity & Career Coaching work?

Typically the coach will work with the employee at 4 key stages of their maternity journey:

• 3-4 months before maternity leave so that mum-to-be feels confident about handling motherhood and her career choices. We focus on career and childcare options
• 2-3 months before return to work to boost the new mother's confidence about returning to work. This is an opportunity to discuss return to work plans, flexible working options and childcare requirements
• 2-3 months after the return to work to progress check on how the return is going. We encourage mothers to explore opportunities and address challenges both professional and personal
• 8-9 months after return to work because this is typically when a returned mother will stop to consider whether returning worked out for her. This session will focus on hard facts rather than assumptions and conclude with a further career plan.

Coaching sessions can be face-to-face or over the telephone.

Why employees love the Maternity Coaching service

It's important that mothers feel they retain ownership of their career path, remain engaged in their role and feel able to pro-actively articulate choices and priorities throughout the maternity journey. The service also:

• Facilitates a positive attitude towards returning to work
• Raises self-confidence and engagement leading to high levels of performance
• Provides clarity for employee and employer on career aspirations and action plans
• Raised awareness of strengths and competencies
• Enables the working mother to avoid being an isolated part of the team

Why do employers use Maternity Coaching?

• To increase loyalty and retention
• Optimise performance before, during and after maternity
• Reduce training and recruitment costs
• Improve return to work rate
• Minimise the risk of legal action or burn-out due to stress
• To raise employer brand as maternity and parent friendly

Connecting with our other services

Our coaches work hand in hand with our team of maternity consultants to offer the best advice. We also offer backup childcare in case of breakdowns of existing arrangements (for example when a child's nanny is sick or during school holidays).

* Working Parents Survey 2009, My Family Care