Supporting your new mum staff members

For working mums, having a new baby can be joyful, exhausting, and overwhelming all at once. As a business owner, how do you make their return to work as smooth as possible?

Small employers often have an advantage here. With fewer layers of management, it’s easier to have direct conversations and put arrangements in place that genuinely work for your team.

Here’s how to support new mums in your staff while keeping things fair for everyone.

Know Your Legal Obligations

Before we explore additional support you can give new mothers in your team, make sure you get a good grip of the basics of maternity rights.

Eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, split into 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave. They must inform you about their pregnancy at least 15 weeks before their due date week.

Some employees may also qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), provided they’ve worked for you continuously for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before their due date and earn at least the lower earnings limit

SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then £187.18 per week (or 90% of earnings if that’s lower) for the remaining 33 weeks.

A few more things to be aware of:

• Once you know an employee is pregnant, you must carry out a workplace risk assessment to check if her job could affect her health or safety.
• You cannot treat an employee unfairly because she is pregnant, on maternity leave, or returning from it. New mothers are protected from discrimination.
• You cannot make a pregnant employee redundant because of her pregnancy. This is unfair dismissal and discrimination.
• She has the right to return to the same job after ordinary maternity leave (the first 26 weeks).

 

If you’re unsure about these policies, the ACAS website has lots of information on anything and everything to do with pregnancy in the workplace. If the situation is complex or sensitive, speak with an employment solicitor first.

Use Keeping in Touch (KIT) Days Wisely

You’re allowed to stay in contact during maternity leave. In fact, “keeping in touch” (KIT) days are a good reason to reconnect with your new mum staff.

Your employee can work up to 10 KIT days during her leave without it affecting her SMP or leave entitlement. KIT days can be extremely helpful when someone is preparing to return. For example, a KIT day can be used to:

• Attend a team meeting
• Receive training on new systems
• Get updates on major changes in the business
• Ease back into work before their official return

 

The main point is that KIT days are voluntary. You cannot force an employee to come in. But after months of being away, a KIT day or two can make that first week less daunting.

Because these days are optional, you must reach a mutual agreement regarding the dates, the type of work involved, and the pay.

After months away, walking back through the office door can be as nerve-wracking as starting a new job. She may not admit that she feels a little out of place, but a warm, well-prepared first day back can ease some of that anxiety.

Before she returns, inform the rest of the team she’s coming back and set the tone. It costs nothing to say a few welcoming words, have her desk ready, and give her a proper briefing if anything significant has changed.

And if you can, clear some space in your calendar to check in with her one-to-one that first week. Just a thoughtful “How are you finding it so far?” is a simple gesture that can have a ton of impact.

Be Flexible Where You Can

For many new mums, the hardest part of returning to the workplace isn’t the job itself. It’s coordinating work with childcare. Nurseries run on fixed hours, babies get sick, and broken sleep doesn’t magically disappear when maternity leave ends.

Employees can ask for flexible working from day one of their return, and you’re required to consider any request seriously. That said, it’s often easier to talk things through before a formal request is put in. This gives you both room to find a compromise that actually works.

Just be careful not to make verbal promises that can cause operational problems later. Instead, explore options together before committing to a final plan.

Start by asking questions. Which days are most difficult for childcare? Is the commute the issue, or the hours? The answers will help you find an arrangement that works for both sides.

Here are some options you may want to consider offering:

• Slightly earlier or later start and finish times
• Compressed hours across fewer days (e.g., four longer days instead of five)
• Hybrid or remote work setup
• Job sharing or part-time roles

 

Be Understanding

New mums returning to work are juggling more than it looks like from the outside. They may be sleep-deprived or feeling guilty about leaving their baby for the first time.

Small adjustments can make their return easier, and they don’t have to cost anything. None of this requires special treatment, either. It might just mean:

• Not scheduling them for back-to-back meetings during their first week back
• Being relaxed when they need to take a call about childcare during the day
• Making sure they actually take their lunch break
• Checking in occasionally

 

Create a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace

If your employee is breastfeeding when she returns, you have a legal duty to provide a private, clean space for her to express milk (not a toilet cubicle) and somewhere hygienic to store it.

You don’t need anything elaborate; a private room with a lock, a comfy chair, and a fridge will do. You can also build in a short break allowance so she has time to actually use it.

There can be practical benefits for your business, too. Breastfed babies tend to get sick less often, which means their mothers are less likely to be up all night or take unplanned time off to care for an ill child.

And it goes further than that. Research shows that mothers who feel supported with breastfeeding at work report higher job satisfaction and stronger loyalty to their employer.

Avoid Making Assumptions About Career Ambition

One common mistake employers make is assuming new mums no longer want more responsibility or career growth. Some mothers do want to pull back a bit when they first return, at least while they find their feet. But plenty don’t.

Many come back just as driven as they left, sometimes more so. The only way to really know is to ask them. “What do you want from your role over the next year?” “Are you interested in taking on more responsibility, or would you rather consolidate for now?”

Then, whatever they tell you, keep doing the basics:

• Include them in training opportunities and work-related activities
• Involve them in projects that stretch her
• Provide opportunities for career development

 

Here, you’re not forcing progression on someone who isn’t ready for it. It’s about making sure the door is open for them. New mums often feel overlooked and undervalued professionally. In fact, 40% of working mothers feel they’ve been held back from a promotion.

Look After Her Mental Wellbeing

Returning to work after having a baby isn’t just a logistical challenge; it’s an emotional one too. Postnatal depression affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, and new mums may need more mental health support than ever.

Some women return to work while still quietly struggling, and in a small team where everyone is busy, it can go completely unnoticed. But you’re in a position to notice and ask. If she does share that she’s having a hard time, listen without judgment and signpost her towards support.

Your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), if you have one, is a good starting point. If not, Mind and the NHS both offer accessible mental health resources. Make it normal to talk about wellbeing in your workplace, not just for new mums but for everyone.