Returning, Not Restarting: Navigating Career Growth After Maternity Leave
By Hannah Minker, Senior Finance Recruitment Expert at Stanton House
Returning to work after maternity leave is often described as a transition back into professional life. Having recently experienced it myself, I have come to realise that this description misses an important point. For many women, it is not a return to the role they left. It is the beginning of a new chapter, one where professional responsibilities sit alongside an entirely new set of personal responsibilities.
As organisations continue to focus on employee retention, wellbeing and workplace culture, there is growing recognition of the importance of supporting employees through major life events. Yet while significant attention is given to helping women return to work after maternity leave, less focus is placed on what happens once they are back.
Many women return motivated, capable and ambitious, but they are also adapting to a new reality. Understanding that reality matters not only for the individuals navigating it, but also for the leaders responsible for attracting, engaging and retaining experienced talent.
Returning Does Not Mean Reduced Ambition
One of the most common assumptions about maternity leave is that becoming a parent naturally leads women to step back from their careers.
In my experience, and through countless conversations with working mothers, that assumption is often far from the truth.
Many women return to work eager to continue building their careers, taking on new challenges and progressing professionally. The ambition remains, but the circumstances surrounding it have changed. Career goals do not disappear simply because someone becomes a parent.
This view is reflected in wider workplace research. McKinsey's Women in the Workplace research consistently shows that women remain highly committed to their careers, and that access to career support, sponsorship and development opportunities has a significant influence on progression and leadership ambition.
What often changes is how success is measured and how priorities are balanced. Women may become more intentional about where they invest their time and energy. They may seek opportunities that offer both progression and sustainability. However, that should not be mistaken for a lack of commitment.
For employers, this distinction is critical. Organisations that assume returning mothers are less ambitious risk overlooking experienced professionals with significant leadership potential. In an environment where retaining high-performing talent remains a priority, supporting career progression after maternity leave should be viewed as a long-term talent strategy, not a short-term accommodation.
The Transition Is Often More Complex Than People Realise
Before returning from maternity leave, I thought the challenge would primarily be reacclimatising to work.
In reality, work itself was often the most familiar part.
The bigger adjustment came from managing the logistics and emotional demands that sit behind the working day. Alongside meetings, deadlines and professional responsibilities came nursery drop-offs, nursery pick-ups, childcare planning, sleepless nights and the unpredictability of childhood illnesses.
Like many parents, I quickly realised that I was no longer managing one role. I was balancing two.
The transition back to work requires people to build entirely new routines, establish support networks and navigate competing demands on their time and attention. Even when childcare arrangements are carefully planned, the reality can look very different from the plan.
A child becoming unwell, a nursery closure or an unexpected disruption can quickly create challenges that require immediate attention. At the same time, many women feel pressure to demonstrate that they remain fully engaged and performing at a high level professionally.
This combination can be mentally exhausting, particularly during the first year back at work.
For organisations, recognising the complexity of this transition is important. Support does not always require major policy changes. Often, understanding, empathy and practical adaptability can make a meaningful difference to an employee's experience.
The Invisible Mental Load Behind the Working Day
One aspect that receives far less attention is the invisible mental load many working mothers carry.
The mental load goes beyond physical tasks. It includes the constant planning, organising, anticipating and problem-solving that underpins family life. Remembering nursery forms, arranging childcare cover, managing appointments, tracking household needs and coordinating family schedules all require ongoing mental energy.
These responsibilities are often unseen by colleagues and managers. As a result, they can be underestimated.
A returning mother may appear fully present and engaged at work while simultaneously managing a complex web of responsibilities behind the scenes. The challenge is not that these responsibilities prevent professional success. Rather, they increase the cognitive load individuals carry, making supportive workplace cultures even more valuable.
This is where leadership awareness becomes important. Employees do not necessarily expect special treatment, but they do value understanding. Feeling understood creates psychological safety, encourages open communication and often strengthens engagement.
Why Managers Matter More Than Policies
Policies provide a framework, but managers often determine how supportive a workplace actually feels.
A good manager can create confidence during a period that may feel uncertain. They can establish realistic expectations, encourage open dialogue and create an environment where employees feel comfortable raising challenges before they become problems.
Conversely, a lack of understanding can make an already demanding transition significantly harder.
Many working mothers describe feeling pressure to prove they are still committed to their careers after returning from leave. While that pressure is rarely intentional, it can emerge when flexibility is interpreted as reduced ambition or when assumptions are made about future career aspirations.
The most effective leaders avoid assumptions altogether.
Rather than deciding what an employee wants, they ask. Rather than assuming someone wants to slow down, they discuss long-term development goals. Rather than focusing solely on presence, they focus on outcomes and contribution.
These conversations are often simple, but they can have a lasting impact on confidence, performance and retention.
Flexibility Is a Performance Enabler
Flexible working is often positioned as an employee benefit. Increasingly, it should be viewed as a business enabler.
Research from McKinsey found that 38% of mothers with young children reported they would have had to leave their employer or reduce their working hours if workplace flexibility had not been available.
That finding highlights an important reality. Flexibility is not simply a preference for many working parents. It provides the practical foundations that enable them to continue contributing at a high level.
This does not mean lowering expectations or reducing accountability. It means recognising that strong performance does not always require rigid working patterns.
Across the market, we continue to see candidates placing significant importance on flexibility, development opportunities and supportive cultures when evaluating employers. Those factors increasingly influence retention as much as attraction.
The organisations that retain experienced professionals most effectively are often those that focus on outcomes, trust and communication rather than visibility alone.
Supporting Returning Mothers Is a Retention Strategy
From a commercial perspective, there is a compelling case for investing in the success of returning mothers.
These individuals often bring valuable experience, institutional knowledge, resilience and leadership capability. They understand the organisation, have established relationships and can continue delivering value for many years.
Yet businesses still lose talented employees because the transition back into work is not managed effectively.
Leading organisations are increasingly recognising that structured support can improve long-term retention. Deloitte's Returnity programme, for example, includes return plans, mentoring, wellbeing support, flexible working arrangements and career conversations designed to help employees successfully navigate the transition back to work.
While every organisation's approach will differ, the principle remains the same. Supporting employees through significant life transitions strengthens retention, engagement and future leadership pipelines.
The most successful organisations understand that careers are rarely linear. How employers respond during key life stages often shapes long-term loyalty and commitment.
Practical Actions for Organisations
For organisations looking to better support returning mothers, several practical actions can make a genuine difference:
Encourage regular conversations
Create opportunities for employees to discuss their return, evolving priorities and any challenges they are facing.
Avoid assumptions about ambition
Career aspirations should never be assumed. Have open discussions about development goals and progression plans.
Equip managers to lead effectively
Provide managers with guidance and training so they can support returning parents consistently and confidently.
Focus on outcomes
Measure success through contribution and performance rather than physical presence wherever possible.
Create visible role models
Highlight examples of women who have successfully progressed their careers alongside parenthood. Representation can be incredibly powerful.
Maintain development opportunities
Ensure returning mothers continue to receive access to stretch assignments, mentoring and promotion opportunities.
Creating an Environment Where Women Can Thrive
The conversation around maternity leave should not end once an employee returns to work.
Returning mothers are not starting over. They are bringing new experiences, new perspectives and new responsibilities into an existing career journey. Many remain highly ambitious and committed to professional growth, even as they learn to navigate the realities of parenthood.
For employers, the opportunity is clear. By creating environments built on understanding, flexibility, career development and trust, organisations can retain experienced talent, strengthen leadership pipelines and build more inclusive workplaces.
The organisations that get this right are not simply helping employees return to work.
They are enabling them to continue growing, contributing and leading long after they come back.
Continue the Conversation
At Stanton House, we regularly speak with leaders and professionals about career progression, employee retention and workplace culture. If you would like to discuss how organisations can better support returning parents, or share your own experiences, I would love to hear from you.
Sources:
- McKinsey & Company / LeanIn.Org – Women in the Workplace
- Deloitte
