According to a recent poll, there is an increase in employer demand for women returning to the workforce after having had a baby.<br><br>
The survey, conducted by Regus, questioned 2,200 senior managers and business owners. Forty per cent of those surveyed indicated that they plan to recruit more mums seeking to return to employment after maternity leave.<br><br>
The findings also revealed that 80% of UK organisations feel that their industry has suffered and lacks potentially strong employees by not seeking to employ women after they have taken time away from work to have a baby. Almost 70% of these firms also believe that mothers bring experience and skills that are hard to find in the existing labour market.<br><br>
This is a drastic change from a similar poll back on 2011, when only 26% of those surveyed planned to recruit mums.<br><br>
How are companies going to encourage women to return to the workforce after maternity leave? As key strategies the respondents plan to emphasise part-time work, video conferencing, working closer to the home and flexible hours. These strategies may be effective, as six out of ten employers have reported that women have requested the option to work from home after having a child.<br><br>
A Regus spokeswoman stated: “With reports highlighting that the non-participation of women in the economy is costing as much as 27% per capita GDP in some countries, and that companies with more women on the board are more profitable, it is high time that UK businesses address the issue of how to adapt working practices to better suit working mothers.”<br><br>
The poll seems to confirm the theories that more employers are recognising the benefits of flexible working and recruiting more women.