Why Retention Drops After Maternity Leave and What Great Employers Do Differently

You’ve invested in developing great talent.
You supported her through maternity leave, welcomed her back warmly, and assumed all was well.

Then six months later, she resigns.

Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. Many HR leaders face the same frustration: strong women leaving just when you thought the hard part was over.

The real issue isn’t flexibility. It’s belonging.

Most employers focus on logistics: hours, hybrid work, flexibility.
But while those matter, they don’t solve the deeper problem: the identity gap a working mum experiences when returning.

She’s not the same person who left. Her priorities, confidence, and sense of purpose have shifted.
If her new identity doesn’t fit into your culture or leadership expectations, she won’t stay, no matter how many flexible days you offer.

So what can you do differently?

Here’s what high-performing, people-first organisations do to retain returning talent:

1. They prepare leaders, not just policies.
   Most returners leave because their manager doesn’t know how to support them, not because of company rules.
   Equip leaders with tools to communicate, listen, and lead through transition.

2. They redefine success for the first 6 months.
   Create a re-onboarding plan focused on reintegration, not immediate performance.
   Clear milestones, open dialogue, and progressive rebuild of confidence go a long way.

3. They invest in identity work.
   Support mums in reconnecting with their professional identity, who they are now, not who they were before leave.
   This emotional recalibration is what truly drives long-term engagement.

Retention isn’t about keeping people. It’s about keeping them connected.

When women feel seen, valued, and supported as their whole selves, they don’t just stay, they thrive.
And that’s what modern leadership looks like.

If you’re ready to strengthen your return-to-work process and retain top female talent, my Confident Return coaching helps you bridge the gap between maternity leave and high performance for both leaders and returning employees.