Shauna Cole
Did you know that maternity leave is setting back the careers of professional women?
85% of employers feel that maternity leave has either a neutral or positive impact on the career development of their employees. But less than 4% of mothers feel maternity leave has a positive impact on career. (Source: Ceric Canada)
See a problem here? Guess what, I bet the situation will get worse as more women move towards an 18-month mat leave.
My maternity leave led to the end of an otherwise successful 10+ year corporate career. Since then, I’ve been sharing my story and working with women through their maternity leave challenges. I’m on a mission to help women protect their careers through mat leave and to help employers mitigate their risk by managing these transitions in a more meaningful way.
I’m a two-time Mom, Chartered Human Resources Professional and MBA. I’ve seen both sides of the story and I will be part of the solution to the mat leave problem. The legislation isn’t enough - the law protects Mom’s JOB not her CAREER.
This Fall, I’ll introduce The Mat Leave Career Lab - a one-day boutique-style retreat hosted in Saint John, New Brunswick. The Mat Leave Career Lab will be hosted by myself and Certified Image Consultant and Women's Coach, Lorraine Peters. We're both Moms, Professionals, Entrepreneurs and the support system to manage career through mat leave.
This stuff isn't covered in 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'. Hell, there's not even any helpful info available on BabyCenter.
In an ideal world, Moms wouldn’t have to deal with any of this nonsense. Transition away from and back to work would be effortless. Mom would be back in her awesome job that she loves and she’d be performing at her typical high level. Plus, she’d feel like she’s adding value to the company right away. Her employer wouldn’t even bat an eyelash at her 12-month+ absence. She’d be so excited to be back at work that she’d have tears in her eyes her first day because she loves being back to work so.stinking.much. Daycare transition was easy. She feels beautiful, confident and in control. Snap – even her pre-pregnancy pants are too big. Ahem… that’s not quite happening here.
The reality is different. The transition away from work can really take a toll on mom’s career - and this is where I come in.
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Mom, Career Designer, HR Pro
