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It is surprising that there is so little research about expectant
employees given the fact that there has been a sharp rise
in women’s labour force participation rates in North
America. One U.S. researcher was able to locate just 20 empirical
articles on pregnancy and work published in psychology and
management journals between 1985 and 2005.
Women are not only participating in the labour force in greater
numbers, the demographic of this group is also shifting. The
participation rate of Alberta of women in the labour force
with young children (under the age of six) in 2005 was over
64% and the National average was 71.8% in the same year. Most
of these women were in their prime working ages of between
25 and 44 according to the Canadian Economic Observer, June
2006.
The landscape of organizations is changing. Much of this
change is coming on the heels of the introduction of nearly
year long employment insurance benefits for working families
in Canada. A common belief among workplace culture is that
younger generations in the workforce not only differ from
the ones before them but are also seeking a much different
work environment. With this and the rise in the number of
working women between the ages of 25 and 44, organizations
need to reflect on corporate maternity and maternal employment
more openly.
Canadian organizations continue to grapple with meeting the
needs of new and expectant parents without making the strategic
link between maternity, new parenthood and the resulting impact
on retention, absenteeism, productivity, stress related illness
and culture. Additionally, even today there are quiet stereotypes
facing pregnant women at work which have been cited in some
of the limited research over the years done on this subject.
Some of these include:
- The pregnant employee is no longer committed to her job;
- That a pregnant employee may not return after childbirth;
- That after a woman has had a child, that she is automatically
perceived to be less committed to her career (Lyness, 1999).
In a 1991 study of MBA students it was reported that a substantial
number had negative views of pregnant employees. The findings
suggested that pregnant employees limit group productivity
and that organizations make too many concessions for them
(Major, 2005, p.2). Of these MBA students, 46% said that they
would not hire a pregnant woman and 64% said that they would
not promote one. Lastly, in a study done in 1999 it was found
that some supervisors give lower evaluations to women who
take leaves for child birth (Lyness, 1999).
These studies give us a limited snapshot of pregnant employees
and their possible experiences at work before, during and
after pregnancy and the return to work. Of course, these views
are detrimental only to the extent that managers and supervisors
act on them. However, the perception can seem like reality
for some pregnant employees and the impact on corporate culture,
even with these subtle stereotypes can be damaging to any
organization. So damaging in fact that in the United States,
corporate maternity related turnover costs are an average
of $480,000 annually in an organization of 500 employees.
This is based on an estimated occurrence of maternity in a
corporate setting at 3.15% of the employee population, with
50% of the employee population being female and having a birth
rate of 4.8% (Crecy, 2005).
It’s a Story We Can Relate To
Many of us have been a pregnant employee or have been a spouse,
mother, father, sibling, friend or colleague to a pregnant
employee. The pregnant working woman can still encounter unique
and subtle forms of discrimination as a result of her physical
condition. It’s a story we can all relate to in some
way or another. Whether it is taking a “macho maternity”
(the practice of a woman working as close as possible to her
due date and then returning as soon as possible afterwards)
for fear of being perceived as less committed, or returning
to a role regardless of whether it provides often needed flexibility,
working women invariably feels stressed upon their return
to work. This becomes more prevalent in organizations where
the amount of time spent at work is used as criteria to indicate
the level of contribution of the employee. An unsupportive
organizational climate negatively affects new mothers views
towards their jobs and careers. In a doctoral thesis by Virginia
Major (2004) of the University of Maryland on the subject
of Pregnancy in the Workplace, the women studied specifically
“..felt they had to reappraise their own career expectations,
not because of changes in their own priorities (although this
was the case with some) but as a consequence of their employers’
policies, practices and attitudes. The message they received
from their organizations was that their contribution was no
longer valued and that their loyalty and commitment were in
doubt.” (p.4) This message adds to the stress of an
expectant employee or new working mother who then becomes
reluctant to take time off for family responsibilities in
an unsupported environment. The research also shows that contrary
to popular belief “..women’s own work identities
did not change substantially after the birth of a child, rather
that how others viewed and reacted to them did” (Major,
2004, p.6).
Beyond Survive: Thrive!
As we already know, flexible working arrangements, on-site
child care and gradual return have appeared as some solutions
to address the decreasing job attrition following childbirth.
But there’s much more to it than that. Research on married
and working women found that “..workplace support (including
supervisor’s support for schedule flexibility) is strongly
related to women’s organizational commitment.”
(Lyness, 1999, p.4) Research shows that the happiness and
excitement of new parenthood is also coupled with stress and
uncertainty. The Families and Work Institute describes the
following as some of the most frequent challenges new parents
face:
1) Most new parents experience a shortage of time
2) Today’s jobs consume not only more time but more
physical and emotional energy
3) Financial worries weigh heavily on many new parents
4) Many new parents have to copy with a lack of security and
predictability
5) Many new parents experience information deficit (Shore,
1998).
A company’s corporate culture can be an environment
that not only helps employees survive during pregnancy but
helps them thrive upon the return to work. Duxbury, Higgins
and Coghill (2003) draw this conclusion in their report titled
Voices of Canadians Seeking Work-Life Balance. They write
“Organizations that wish to make it easier for employees
to balance competing demands need to focus on the behavior
of their managers, the implementation of flexible work arrangements
and a supportive culture.” (p.74) Organizations that
walk the talk towards engaging employees to take advantage
of family responsive benefits play an increasingly important
role in the attraction, retention and engagement of employees,
in particular women employees who will thrive within these
work environments now and in the coming years. Maternity as
a strategic imperative becomes even more relevant and concerning
as noted in a recent Harvard Business Review study that found
“Seventy-five percent of women who want to rejoin the
ranks of the employed manage to do so and that only 5% of
highly qualified women looking for on-ramps are interested
in rejoining the companies that they left.” (Hewlett,
2005, p.25) This implies that women who left their organizations
for a leave, may have felt unsupported or underutilized upon
their departure thus not returning to the same corporate culture.
Out of the Closet
The nature of the work environment today and the tough challenges
today’s employers’ are faced with strengthen the
case for more family responsive policies and practices. The
research indicates that corporate culture and the quality
of jobs are the driving factors behind effectiveness and employee
well-being. Expectant employees who have more supportive,
inclusive work environments are less likely to experience
stress resulting in a positive impact on retention, productivity
and absenteeism. The reality of corporate maternity and the
impact it has on an organization’s overall strategy
needs to be brought out of the closet and into the boardrooms
of today’s organizations in order to remain competitive
in the 24-hour global economy.
Maureen Clarke, MA is a coach, facilitator and trainer
with 15 years experience in the business world in the area
of education & development. Maureen is the Principal of
The Blueprint Group, a company that specializes in programs
for organizations for their female employees returning to
work post-maternity leave.
For a list of resources used in compiling this article,
please contact us at: info@blueprintgroup.ca
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