Best Practices to Reduce Return to Work Issues and Turnover: A Recipe for Successful Maternity/Parental Leaves

Working parents face enormous challenges in the workplace. In fact, findings published in a 2003 report by Linda Duxbury & Chris Higgins, Work-Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium – A Status Report, indicate that employees with dependant care issues are more likely to experience high levels of work-life conflict and find it challenging to meet their responsibilities both at home and in the workplace. Women are particularly at risk. According to this research, 70% of women with dependant care responsibilities report high levels of role overload. As a result, these employees are also most likely to be less productive on the job due to an increase in days off, lateness and stress levels. Needless to say, these issues are further compounded when employees return to work from parental leaves and struggle to re-adjust to work demands in addition to their family responsibilities. So, it’s not surprising that many working parents are opting for part-time work or dropping out of the workforce altogether.

Together with an aging population, this latest trend spells trouble for Canadian business. The loss of human capital together with additional costs associated with recruitment can be a real problem —but it doesn't have to be. Employers need to look at this as an opportunity and work together with employees to invest the time and resources required to ensure a smooth and successful transition back to work. Those organizations that take the time to do stand to benefit from less return to work issues and a decrease in turnover associated with work-life balance issues.

This paper will look at several key issues related to parental leaves and outline retention strategies that employers can use to help eliminate costs, and create a more flexible and responsive work environment for returning employees.

Maternity/parental Leave Policy in Canada

Maternity/parental leave policy is governed by both federal and provincial levels of government in Canada. In 2001, employment insurance (EI) was amended by the Federal government to extend the combined maternity/parental leave to one year. Provincial governments followed suit by passing legislation to ensure that employees who took advantage of the full year of leave would have their jobs protected. However, not all parents qualify. In particular, working women who own their own businesses, or who don't have the required provincial annual minimum work hours, need not apply.

Many other employees choose not to take advantage of the full year of leave due to financial limitations. To help alleviate some of the financial burden, some leading Canadian workplaces extend the provisions provided through EI by supplementing or “topping up” an employee’s EI maternity/parental leave benefits.

Still, many women in Canada choose to either limit their work responsibilities after their parental leave or not return to work at all. Others return to work full time and face huge obstacles in trying to balance the demands of work and family responsibilities, making it impossible for them to give it their best at work.

For Canadian businesses, this adds up to growing issues with employee engagement or “presenteeism”, losses in human capital, and higher costs associated with turnover and recruitment. For example, according to a recent Catalyst study of the work-life balance perceptions and challenges faced by law firm associates, the average total cost to a firm of an associate’s departure is $315,000 which is approximately twice the average associate’s salary.

What Can ‘Forward Thinking’ Employers Do?

According to a study conducted by Donna Lero, Co-Director of the Centre for Families, Work & Wellbeing and an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, whatever the length of time a working mother chooses to take for maternity/parental leave, strong evidence suggests that the term, beyond a minimum of 4 months, is not a critical determinant of a mother’s mental health and wellbeing. What is critical is the set of personal, family and workplace stresses, resources and supports that operate jointly and interact with leave experiences.

Beyond financial support to employees on parental leave, many forward thinking Canadian organizations are providing additional resources and support to their employees to ensure successful parental leaves. These organizations are experiencing less return to work issues and a decrease in turnover associated with work-life balance issues. For these organizations, a recipe for successful parental leaves may include the following ingredients:

Management Awareness and Training. Managers need to have an understanding of how to interact with their employees while on parental leave. This requires having a meeting with the employee prior to their leave to put a plan in place. The manager and employee need to agree on the appropriate frequency of contact for the employee to keep them engaged and connected to the workplace while on leave.

Flexible Work Policy. Many of these workplaces are taking a creative and imaginative approach to promoting flexible work arrangements. Flexible work policies may include offering part-time work opportunities, gradual return to work plans and telework. If requests for flexible work arrangements are not seriously considered, organizations must weigh the consequences of potentially losing valuable employees.

Work-Life Consultation, Resource and Information programs. Research shows that employees who have access to this type of program are: more inclined to stay with their organization; be more productive; less stressed; and less likely to miss work. Before, during and after their parental leaves, employees can consult the program for advice and information from expert consultants, get qualified resources, and obtain referrals to community services. Also, employees can access programs like these for strategies on how to make the transition back to work a little easier.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). The transition back to work from parental leave can be an extremely difficult time for parents as they explore their own concepts of parenthood and struggle to resume their role of employee. According to recent research findings reported by Linda Duxbury, the concept of “motherhood” is tied to life satisfaction. Mothers tend to be less satisfied with their lives after having children, not because they have children, but because the role of managing work and family can pull them in different directions and cause guilt on both sides. Providing employees with access to professionally trained counsellors can assist employees, particularly those who are impacted by feelings and symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress associated with the competing demands of work and family.

Parenting Workshops & Seminars at the Workplace. By offering these types of information sessions at the workplace, employers are providing employees with opportunities to connect with and learn ways to balance work and family responsibilities from fellow colleagues in similar situations as well as from experts.

Back-up Child Care Programs. These programs can assist employees to better manage work demands when there is an interruption in their regular child care arrangements.

Maternity and parental leave benefits and programs are a key component of any organization’s benefits offering. To minimize return to work issues and turnover associated with work-life balance issues, it’s critical for employers to put the appropriate workplace supports in place to help their employees manage work and family life before, during and after the birth or adoption of a child.

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