An open letter to employers of mothers (and all employers)

Dear Employer,

There are currently some alarming statistics being talked about concerning working women and more specifically, working mothers. If you’re not across these we can tell you that:

• 49% of working mothers have reported workplace discrimination while pregnant, on parental leave or on returning to work (National Review, AHRC, 2014),
• 32% of these women discriminated against resigned from their jobs or went on to seek other work, with some never returning to the paid workforce altogether,
• 1 in 5 reported they were made redundant, restructured, dismissed or failed to have their contracts renewed during the parental leave and return to work period.
• Mothers earn 22% less than their female “childless” counterparts during their prime working years (OECD figures, 2014),
• And we experience a 17% loss in wages over a lifetime and take an average 4% pay cut after the birth of our first child and a 9% cut for each subsequent child thereafter (Diversity Council 2014).

These are pretty disturbing findings given it is the year 2016 and we’re living in a free country where giving people “a fair go” is supposed to be part of the Aussie way.

This is unfair, completely unfair.

But you as an employer of mothers, are in the driving seat with the power to turn this all around. We’ve taken the time to provide a few points below that hopefully shape your future decision-making and create positive change across all workplaces. This letter may appear long, but it’s important to us, so please stay on until the end.

• As female employees, at some point we will probably choose to start a family and the time will come when we share this news with you. We are likely to feel nervous and excited at the same time so bear with us and keep in mind that we just want to be congratulated, have people be happy for us and feel supported by you and our colleagues. At a time when there is a lot of bad in the world, pregnancy news is good news and babies should be celebrated.

• We don’t expect any special treatment and certainly don’t want to be treated differently to our peers. Our body may change but our ability to effectively perform in our position (unless deemed unsafe to do so) won’t. We just want to continue working, and in the same job and at the same level, that’s all.

• Demoting us or ending our employment because we are pregnant is actually discrimination, but you are no doubt aware of that.
  
• When we head off on parental leave we ask that you please don’t forget about us altogether. We’re still employed and part of your business and we want to feel that way. Do keep in touch during this time as we would like that very much.
• Do you know that we are entitled to 10 “keeping in touch days” when on leave? The purpose of these days is to remain connected to our employer. Some of us may actually welcome a focus back on work and something different to the daily grind that can be motherhood so lets entertain these discussions as it may just work for the both us.
• Just so you know, we are entitled to return to the role we held before we had our baby even if a replacement has been doing a fabulous job holding fort whilst we’ve been away. It is still our position and ours to choose to return to if we want to.
• We get that nothing stays the same in business, so if for some reason our position or responsibilities change this needs to be communicated with us whilst we’re on leave and not when we return to the job. The same goes for our role no longer existing when the time comes to return to work – we must be given notice and offered a similar level and paying opportunity back with you. That is fair.
• Demoting us or ending our employment for no good reason whilst on maternity leave is discrimination.
• There’s no doubt that many of us want to return to work flexibly but please don’t break out into a sweat when we mention the word flexible. Hear us out as flexibility could be an early start and early finish, a 9-day fortnight, a request to work some hours remotely from home or a gradual increase from part-time to full-time hours as we transition back into the workforce. It doesn’t always mean a drastic reduction in the time physically spent at work and a resulting decrease in our productivity.
• If you can’t get your head around flexible or part-time working why not consider a job-share arrangement? There are lots of mums with an identical skill-set and work ethic, so why can’t we share a job? Two heads are better than one right?
• You are required to respond to our request for flexibility in writing and within 21 days to be precise. It can be pretty easy for you to refuse us on “reasonable business grounds” but before you do, why not consider trialing what we have put forward to see whether it will work? You may just be surprised at how easily flexible working can be accommodated. We can tell you that we will be doing everything humanly possible to make it work on our end.
• When we’re back at work, please don’t assume that we are going to have another child, or another two, or three. We may decide to have a whole tribe but these decisions are our own and should not hold any weight when you are considering us for career progression. Denying us opportunities or overlooking us for a promotion because we may or may not be done with creating our families is unfair.
• If you’re recruiting and you receive our resume, please look past the time we have spent out of the paid workforce to care for our families. It’s okay to have a “career pause” so don’t penalise us, rather focus on what we can offer to your business and the many ways in which we will add value.
• It’s important to mention that our priorities change as we become mothers and raise our children. Many of us have enjoyed success in high level positions or have years of career experience behind us. Some of us are now really happy to do away with the stress and demands of our former careers to accept a lower paid position with less responsibility so if you receive our resume please don’t automatically dismiss us as overqualified and question our motives for applying for a role beneath our capabilities. Instead, invite us to interview and give us the opportunity to explain where we’re at, why we are interested in the opportunity we have applied for and how we can add value.
• If we are fortunate to meet you at interview, please don’t ask any questions relating to family or child rearing because that won’t provide you with the information you need to assess whether we are suitable for the position. It is also illegal.
• Lastly, as working mothers, it is inevitable that our kids will get sick but don’t assume that this will equate to numerous days out of the office to care for them. Of course, our children are our priority and there is nothing more important but there are also other family members or friends that can step in to help us out.

Finally, accordingly to the Federal Government’s 2015 Intergenerational Report, “Women have the power to boost Australia’s productivity by $25 billion if just another 4% of women worked or returned to work after having children”.

Encouraging and supporting us to return to work will contribute to increased female participation. But by employing and retaining us you will build a talented, diverse, productive and engaged team, all of which will have a tremendous effect on the success of your business.