Supporting Parents In The Workplace
97% of people expressed a desire for better emotional or mental health resources at work for those trying to build a family or experiencing fertility challenges.
97% of people expressed a desire for better emotional or mental health resources at work for those trying to build a family or experiencing fertility challenges.
Welcome!
If you have found yourself on this page, I’m truly glad you are here and educating yourself on what kind of support is out there. There is a lot of information here, because I want you to get a comprehensive picture of what I offer. Pace yourself, digest what you are reading, and know that you can reach out anytime. No questions or concerns are off the table!
Likelihood is high that you are either part of an organization looking to explore what expanded benefits can be provided around parental support, OR are a working professional who is on the maternal or paternal journey.
As someone who has navigated the world of juggling the identities of “mom” and “working professional”, I can say that the road is meaningful, beautiful, and HARD. My experiences have motivated me to provide a powerful and results driven process for supporting organizations, teams, and individuals, and groups around the parental experience. I’m passionate about leadership development and supporting teams, and this extension of my offering supporting parents in the workplace excites me greatly.
I’ve also interviewed dozens of individuals, gathered pages of data, and collaborated with experts to bring us here. On this page you’ll learn about my unique offering that will be tailored specifically to the needs that you or your organization has. You’ll get a taste of who I am, discover who the work is meant for and why it’s critical, learn about my approach, and be able to engage with me to get the dialogue going.
Supporting Teams
Businesses who supported their individuals during pregnancy and through re-entry into work found a 20% reduction in the number of female employees exiting their jobs in the first year post-birth, and up to a 50% reduction after five years.
Businesses who supported their individuals during pregnancy and through re-entry into work found a 20% reduction in the number of female employees exiting their jobs in the first year post-birth, and up to a 50% reduction after five years.
WHY SHOULD YOUR COMPANY INVEST?
It costs 200-500% of an executive’s salary to hire and re-train a new recruit. MATERNITY SUPPORT IS ONE KEY WAY TO lower THE probability of potential recruitment and replacement costs.
77% of workers say that maternal benefits sway their choice of employeR, 80% of workers reported a productivity increase with maternal support, and 93% reported likelihood to stay one year later after baby.
26% of mothers CUT MATERNITY LEAVE SHORT AND return to work in less than two months due to anxiety or worry
It goes without saying...fertility benefits are a crucial part of employee recruitment and retention. The journey of becoming a parent or supporting a partner in having a baby impacts productivity and performance. In order to support the individual fully, there must be time and attention at supporting at the team level. Through workshops, coaching, and a tailored handbook, my approach helps teams stay engaged and aligned in preparing for a team member to take parental leave, and re-enter the workforce. Organizations see it as “the right thing to do”, but also “the smart thing to do for business.”
Supporting Individuals
20% of mothers say that they have experienced pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
9 out of 10 mothers experience problems returning to work after maternity leave.
20% of mothers say that they have experienced pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. 9 out of 10 mothers experience problems returning to work after maternity leave.
“MOTHERHOOD Mindset” starts when someone HAS BEGUN TRYING OR becomes pregnant and is an experience that impacts the INDIVIDUAL as well as the people around her (the partner, the friends, the family). Psychologists have agreed that this time, especially if there are challenges becoming pregnant, can create ‘psychological turbulence’ (don’t forget, emotions like elation and rapture and anticipation are all positive experiences…AND they can create turbulence!) and it occurs over FOUR stages. These FOUR phases highlight that this focus of support is CRITICAL to have in place sooner than you might think.
*PLEASE NOTE, these are descriptions of what elements of these phases can include. everyone is going to have their individual experiences, so take that into consideration as you’re perusing.
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Challenges with trying to get pregnant are more common than is talked about and they wreak havoc on happiness, fulfillment, productivity, and efficiency. The road to becoming pregnant can be fraught with isolation, insecurity, and anxiety. Navigating through the emotions while managing workload can lead to significant imbalance. All of this leads to decreased employee motivation and engagement, especially if unacknowledged and unsupported over time. As someone who has had two miscarriages and been through three rounds of IVF while working full time…I get it.
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When an individual becomes pregnant, it is accompanied by a swirl of emotions and thoughts (potential surprise if the pregnancy wasn’t planned, imagining the baby, going to appointments, processing the mental and physical changes to come, anticipation of meeting the baby, fear that everything will be okay, preoccupation with what needs to get done, etc.). There is also this urgency to live up to unattainable standards and meet high demands at work while being pregnant. If one’s job is strenuous or stressful, these thoughts and feelings are likely to be exacerbated. All of these shifts can make focus at work challenging and at times, impossible.
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Once the baby is born, there are immense physical and psychological changes that occur, and it is also an abrupt deviation from the work life that one had prior to having the baby. Many issues that need assistance aren’t even apparent until 3-4 months after delivery. There are also workplace anxieties that occur such as worry of losing skills, potential struggle to get back up to speed, and anxiety about a slow down of career progression. Inadequate support during maternity leave can have significant impacts on relationship to self and one’s ability to return to work.
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Regardless of impeccable planning and resources in place, return to work can be a tricky transition. This is the time when the integration of one’s new psychological mindset with one’s previous pre-pregnancy mindset is in full force. This process can potentially mean BIG shifts in values and priorities, and BIG feelings of guilt and self judgment. There can be a lot of striving to re-establish one’s worker identity as well as a strong desire to self revalidate as both an employer and as a mother.
WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST?
More than 2/3 of all pregnant women work, most of them in full-time jobs. 80 percent are still at their jobs the month they give birth.
82 percent of female workers pregnant with their first child continued to go to work until they were within one month of their due date.
Regardless of where one is on the maternity journey, it takes a ton of mental and physical energy to become and be pregnant, become a mom, and navigate the various identities that now have a hold on identity and purpose. There can also be experiences of low self confidence, relevance in the workplace, feeling left behind, difficulty setting boundaries, misperceived self value, and insecurity.
I’m here to provide space across the four phases to discuss the impacts that pregnancy, motherhood, and return to work all have on an individual, and to empower meaningful action.
Pat yourself on the back.
You are doing an amazing thing by being a champion for what support could look like for you or your organization as it pertains to the parental journey. I’ve got your back and am here to support you how I can. If you’d like to go ahead and drop me an email directly, you can do so at greer@windrosedirection.com.