When Elizabeth Monier-Williams started her maternity leave last year, she wasn’t aggressively looking for a new job.
But after spending five years in York University’s communications department, where — despite great colleagues and a supportive atmosphere — there wasn’t much room for advancement, she was ready for a change. So she kept her eye on openings, and when a few piqued her interest, she applied.
“I thought, ‘Wow. Those are great opportunities, I can’t not throw my hat in,” the mother of two told The Huffington Post.
Earlier this spring, she cut her leave a month short, and accepted a more senior position as marketing and communications manager at Toronto-based MaRS Innovation.
Though she says there are “always mixed feelings” about leaving an organization, she didn’t feel guilty about using her leave to find a new job.
“The need for challenging and meaningful work is something that resonates with a lot of women,” she said. “It shouldn’t surprise people if they take the time over mat leave to think about what they want and shift gears so that it works for them.”
There is no data on how many women switch jobs while on maternity leave in Canada each year. But anecdotal evidence suggests that while the majority of women (and men) who leave work to care for a newborn do return, stories like Monier-Williams’ have become relatively commonplace.
Whether motivated by the desire for a fresh start or the need to find a position that will better support work-life balance, it’s a trend that reflects the ongoing erosion of company loyalty in workplaces across the country — and has created an unspoken bias among some employers against hiring would-be mothers.
But as competition for talent heats up, observers say companies that fail to take action to retain new parents do so at their own peril.
(STORY CONTINUES UNDER SLIDESHOW)
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United States
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>12 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> No national program but cash benefits may be provided at the state level.
Iceland
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>3 Months <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 80
Germany
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>14 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Japan
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>14 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 67
Malta
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>14 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
New Zealand
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>14 Weeks Paid, 38 Weeks Unpaid<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Switzerland
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>14 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 80
Belgium
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>15 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 82 per cent for the first 30 days and 75 per cent for the remaining period.
Finland
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>105 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 70
Slovenia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>105 Days <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Austria
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>16 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
France
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>16 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Latvia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>112 Days <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Luxembourg
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>16 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Netherlands
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>16 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Spain
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>16 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Greece
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>119 Days <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 50
Australia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>18 Weeks <br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> Each parent can take up to 12 months of leave, of which 18 weeks are paid.
Lithuania
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>126 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Belarus
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>126 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Moldova
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>126 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Ukraine
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>126 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Romania
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>126 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 85
Portugal
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>120 to 150 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> Parental benefits paid at 100 per cent for the shorter duration of leave and 80 per cent for the longer option
Estonia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>140 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Poland
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>20 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Russia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>140 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Italy
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>5 Months<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 80
Bulgaria
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>135 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong>90
Hungary
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>24 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 70
Ireland
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>26 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 80
Czech Republic
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>28 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 60
Slovakia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>28 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 55
Macedonia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>9 Months<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> Not found.
Norway
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>36 to 46 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> Parental benefits paid at 100 per cent for the shorter duration of leave and 80 per cent for the longer option.
Albania
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>365 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 80 per cent prior to birth and for 150 days after and 50 per cent for the rest of the leave period. <i>Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha shown here</i>.
Bosnia And Herzegovina
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>1 Year<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 82 per cent for the first 30 days and 75 per cent for the remaining period.
Canada
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>52 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 55 per cent at 17 weeks for maternity leave, and the additional 35 weeks can be taken by either parent. Wages also depend on province.
Croatia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>1 Year<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Denmark
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>52 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
Serbia
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>52 Weeks<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 100
United Kingdom
52 Weeks 90 (p)
Sweden
<strong>Length Of Maternity Leave: </strong>420 Days<br><strong>Percentage Of Wages Paid:</strong> 80
“It’s just the age that we live in, that both companies and employees are willing to sever that working relationship should one of them get a better offer, or the situation change,” said Mike Moffatt, a labour expert at the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey School of Business.
“The employer has to realize that if they want to keep and maintain a well-trained staff and … have loyal workers that they’re going to have to provide those incentives.”
SHIFTING PRIORITIES
There are many reasons why women may switch jobs while on leave, but Alison Konrad, an expert in organizational behaviour at Ivey, says “a lack of challenging and interesting work” is a major one.
“Women who go on a maternity leave from a job where they are feeling plateaued and see few opportunities for growth and development may well use that time to search for another job,” said Konrad, who serves as the Corus Entertainment Chair in Women in Management at Ivey. “After all, taking care of your baby is compelling and important. Why would you want to go back to a paid job from that, unless the paid job is also compelling and interesting?”
This can be a particularly strong motivator among high-achieving women (and men), for whom a year away from the office provides a rare opportunity to take a long, hard look at their career path.
“When you’re at work, you’re so in the thick of it, and it’s comfortable. You’re used to the job. You know what’s expected of you,” said Sara, a Toronto-area teacher who recently accepted another position within the school board while on mat leave.
“When you’re not there anymore, you’re not so ingrained in it. It gives you perspective. It makes sense at that point to go for where your heart might be, or what else you might want, because you’re already free.”
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Though she is looking forward to starting her new job in a few months, the mother of two, who several years ago launched a company that sells baby products, says she is hoping to grow her business to the point where she is able to stay home with the kids.
For Sara, who requested to be identified by her first name only for this article, having another child — and time to think about her next move — has been truly transformative.
“I wouldn’t say it’s like a mid-life crisis, but there is some sort of crisis happening, because it completely shifts you as a person and your priorities,” she said. “I feel like I’m at my end of my teens, when I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be.”
A year away from the office — and a new baby at home — can also change the way women are perceived by their superiors.
When Elizabeth Monier-Williams started her maternity leave last year, she wasn’t aggressively looking for a new job.
But after spending five years in York University’s communications department...
When Elizabeth Monier-Williams started her maternity leave last year, she wasn’t aggressively looking for a new job.
But after spending five years in York University’s communications department...
When it comes to the world's maternity leaves report card, not all countries are passing with flying colours. In a report by the International Labour...
If I was on benefits, I'd have a bowl bulging with fruits from my loins and a free nest, for my troubles. Likewise, if I was a double-barrled posho, I'd have Jaspers and Hermiones coming out of every orifice, before you could say "sun-blushed tomato." We middling types pay their taxes and remain sprogless.
Assume that the majority of mothers are doing the best they can, making the choices they think are the most appropriate for their families. Assume that there are great moms who work out of the house, great moms who work full time with their children, great moms with help, and great moms with none.
Whether you work from home on occasion, once a week or full-time, doing so successfully is not as simple as just being there. Herewith, five tips for the working parent who wants to make working from home work.
It's becoming increasingly less socially acceptable to piggyback on your parents' summer vacations, but you do it anyway, because for some reason they still enjoy your company.
I left my job when I started my second maternity leave. It was a great place to work, but we took the opportunity to move so that my husband could pursue another degree in a new city that we wanted to eventually find work. We were both able to gain back some of the employment insurance money that we've been paying into for years to help ease the finances along the way.
It is rare for people to stay in the same job or career their entire working life. Why does it have to be tied to motherhood when women make those changes?
crackedmum: I left my job when I started my second maternity
As a former employer who lost 3 women within 2 weeks of their return-to-work date, I can say that it's frustrating for the employer and for co-workers to see a new mom go to another job or even decide to stay at home with the child. Our maternity leave policies in the US mostly require that the mother take the leave with the stated plan to return to work. If she changes her mind during her leave, she risks losing pay and healthcare benefits if she quits or even if she tells her supervisor that she isn't coming back. So young women have financial incentive to not tell the boss that they aren't coming back -- until the week before they are supposed to return. Hiring women who are moms is not an issue -- because they have made the transition to be working moms with all of the emotional conflict that involves. But first-time moms (there were 5 in my work group over the years) can be huge drama queens and emotional hurricanes. Everyone went through the day-by-day drama of being pregnant, we all chipped in for a nice baby shower and loads of gifts, went to visit mom and new baby at home, and made do without extra help or just temp help for the 4-6 months of maternity leave.Then all of our good will and friendliness was rewarded with a 'sorry, I'm not coming back,' phone call.
Matt_Blanc: As a former employer who lost 3 women within 2
I'm currently writing a book on women who achieve greater career success after having children, "The MomShift: Finding the Opportunity In Maternity" (Random House: 2014) and would be interested in hearing from any women who used their maternity leave as a time to find a new job or find ways to increase their professional/career success in the immediate years after. You can find out more about the book at: www.themomshift.com or reach me at T: @RevaSeth
hp_blogger_Reva Seth: I'm currently writing a book on women who achieve greater
It's got to be a tough decision...either spend all your time enduring the drudgery of catering to a squalling, immature, demanding, ungrateful little tyrant...or quit your job and take care of the baby.
NTodd: It's got to be a tough decision...either spend all your
Tactics like the ones mentioned in this article seem to be some of the reasons women are constantly one step behind their male counterparts. It is also bothersome to see some people exploiting pregnancy and having young children, to further themselves (at the expense of the loyal, and hard-working women).
ilovethestars: Tactics like the ones mentioned in this article seem to
...and that's why many employers don't want to hire women. Way too much trouble and expense. In most cases there's always plenty of good reasons to hire a man instead.
north_of_60: ...and that's why many employers don't want to hire women.
I think the months leading up to a woman leaving for maternity leaves also has an impact on whether or not she decides to return. Once I revealed that I was pregnant, I felt like I had become "surplus to requirements" in my management role of several years with the same company. It really left a bad taste and I dreaded going back. I needed to feel as appreciated at work as I did at home so I moved to a new organization. I have no regrets and appreciate the lift in salary and benefits to pay for a nanny.
retail99: I think the months leading up to a woman leaving
If it proves too much for the woman that has the baby, then by all means, quit, there's no reason to stress yourself out for some job that doesn't care much about you anyway.
lilkitten22: If it proves too much for the woman that has
This article touches on a number of points that have nothing to do with gender or maternity leave. The lack of loyalty, either from employee to employer or employer to employee, is a sad state of affairs. Growing up in the sixties, company picnics and Christmas parties (on company time) were annual events. Some of your best friends were kids of your Dad's work colleagues. People stayed 40 years with one company, and neither they nor the company would ever consider doing anything else. Commitment both ways was obvious. Nothing similar exists today, and it's not the employees' fault.
Djimcintosh: This article touches on a number of points that have
I used to live in the States, and my wife was fired the day she got back from surgery recovery at one company. These was no form of redress for this, it was just the way things are. I absolutely agree that companies created this negative environment, and people are just doing what they have to do to survive. Besides, as long as employers can get away with paying women 70 cents on the dollar, they will take the risk.
sgillhoolley: I used to live in the States, and my wife
As a socially minded male individual, I love stories of people, especially women, who lookout for themselves in the workplace.
The "man" expects everything from us and rarely gives us the respect that is deserved, we should always look out for ourselves and our family because really, the "man" will ditch us as easily as blinking when the profits aren't there.
CWalsh: As a socially minded male individual, I love stories of
That's the tuberculosis of views. Thankfully it can only be spread amongst 'whipped' males, who have already handed in their man cards and are now lost causes.
All_Seeing_Guy: That's the tuberculosis of views. Thankfully it can only be
My wife after the birth of our sceond child made clear to her employer her desire to cut her maternity leave short by several months.
We had everything in order with an excellant childcare provider who was also taking care of our first child and my wife new that her services were going to be required at work for the fall.
She gave them a clear return date and made known her intensions to return to full active duty. When we got back from a rare 'summer' vacation (rare because my work was insanely busy during the summer months) we found a letter notifying my wife that her services were no longer required as her position had been abolished.
All this after them telling her that they were eager to have her back on the job and how much they appreciated her coming back early.
The same person who said that to her was the same person that signed off on the notification.
Exactly 2 days later.
So......
Whats a person to do?
I guess the lesson is ladies look after your own best interests and the interests of your children.
The company/shop/institution/office sure as hell aint gonna.
Warren_Yuill: My wife after the birth of our sceond child made
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Posted: 06/19/2012 6:33 am Updated: 06/19/2012 9:30 pm