The latest research by Regus, the flexible workspace provider, confirms that mindsets about women are rapidly changing as 80 per cent of firms globally report that companies that won’t employ women returning from maternity leave are missing out.
Far from returning with an obsolete address book and a rusty memory, working mums bring valuable skills and expertise, say 64 per cent of global businesses.
These are the key findings of the research that canvassed the opinions of more than 19,000 business owners and senior managers in 98 countries.
Respondents globally reported that flexible hours, working closer to home and the option to video conference instead of travelling at least some of the time are among the top strategies to get more mothers back into the workforce.
Other interesting figures show that 60 per cent of respondents report that more women are demanding to work remotely when they return to the workforce.
Perhaps due to increasing financial pressures, 45 per cent of those surveyed say they are seeing women take shorter maternity leave (under three months).
“With reports highlighting that the non-participation of women in the economy is costing as much as 27 per cent per capita GDP in some countries, and that companies with more women on the board are more profitable, it is high time that businesses address the issue of how to adapt working practices to better suit working mothers,” Regus spokesman Mauro Mordini said.
“Businesses do not hesitate to attribute value to working mothers, but when they return after maternity leave they often find that juggling professional and personal duties can be very demanding, if not impossible. It is not surprising, therefore, that more and more mums are asking for flexible working. Whether it’s flexible hours, the opportunity to work closer to home or to their families at least some of the time, or the option to choose video conferencing over business travel, these change incentives are key to helping more women back into employment and driving the workplace into the future.”