28th October 2026
Why Maternity Leave Support Must Go Beyond Returning to Work
Returning from maternity leave doesn’t always mean women feel confident, supported or able to progress professionally. New research from Performing Perfectly explores how isolation, uncertainty and concerns about flexibility can persist long after returning. The report encourages employers to provide ongoing development, meaningful support and clearer career progression opportunities.
This article was published on behalf of Performing Perfectly, based on its report The Second Act.
Women share experiences of isolation and uncertainty after maternity leave: “The pull of a young child at home is relentless…”
- New report reveals how uncertainty, isolation and changes in confidence can persist long after women return from maternity leave
- Lived experiences, employer perspectives and recruitment insight highlight why successful retention does not always mean continued career progression
- Eight practical pathways urge employers to look beyond the return date and invest in women’s ongoing development
New report urges employers to look beyond the return date and treat maternity as a longer-term career transition
“The adjustment to working whilst having the pull of a young child at home is relentless, and being thrown back into employment you’ve been out of for twelve months is not only difficult but at times can feel impossible.”
That is just one of the experiences shared by women in a new employer insight reportexploring what happens beyond the practical return from maternity leave.
Published by performance development organisation Performing Perfectly, The Second Act is the Her Edit Employer Insight Report 2026, exploring women’s experiences of returning to work after maternity leave. The report brings together the experiences of 11 women from a range of personal, professional and sector backgrounds, alongside perspectives from 15 businesses and two recruitment professionals.
The report provides a snapshot of the confidence, professional identity, progressionand career decisions that can sit beneath an apparently successful return to work.
The individual stories share a common thread – returning to work does not necessarily mean women feel professionally re-established. Their experiences highlight uncertainty, isolation, changes in confidence and hesitation around future opportunities, showing how the transition can continue long after the practical return, including during a period of significant legal protection associated with maternity.
One contributor, Daisy Hall, whose return coincided with pregnancy loss, hospital appointments and the end of the project associated with her role, said:
“I knew I had protections around me, but being protected didn’t necessarily mean I felt supported through the transition. My old role no longer existed and there wasn’t a clear plan for what came next. At the same time, I was dealing with pregnancy loss and trying to work out what I wanted from my career. The formal requirements were one part of it, but I needed much more clarity and support around the person and professional I was returning as.”
The report comes as employers prepare for further changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025. The government currently schedules enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers for 2027. Mandatory action plans addressing gender pay gaps and menopause support are expected from spring 2027 for employers in scope with 250 or more employees, subject to secondary legislation. Implementation dates remain subject to change.
But The Second Act argues that good policy and legal protection are only part of the picture, urging employers to look beyond whether a woman has returned to work and consider maternity and the months that follow as a longer-term career transition.
Georgie Partridge, Director of leadership & coaching at
“Perhaps we have been looking at the return the wrong way around. Rather than asking women to prove they can still perform after maternity leave, the months that follow may be an audition period for employers – an opportunity to show experienced women that their confidence, development and future careers are still worth investing in.
“Employers have an opportunity to think beyond the practicalities of bringing somebody back and consider what will enable that person to feel professionally established again – not just in the first few weeks, but as their career continues.”
One woman working in Financial and Professional Services demonstrates how that distinction can play out over a much longer period. Despite describing her manager and team as “really understanding and flexible”, two years after returning from maternity leave, she
“I have been back in role for two years and I am still reluctant to make any kind of internal mobility move or take a new opportunity in case the new team does not offer me the same flexibility needed.”
Her manager is aware of her concerns, but the flexibility she relies on is informal and dependent on her existing manager, leaving her unsure whether the same support would follow her elsewhere.
Her experience highlights a crucial message to employers: successful maternity retention does not necessarily mean successful career progression.
The report also highlights employers already taking a longer-term approach. Anna Perrott, Chief Commercial Officer at Panache Cruises UK, USA & Australia and founder of travel-industry working parent forum Back in Time for Bed, said:
“A policy can make becoming a mum look like a one-off event, but in reality it’s a process and a transition. The challenges don’t necessarily get easier when somebody returns to work; they change.”
“At Panache, as soon as somebody tells us they’re pregnant, we know we’re entering what we think of as roughly a two-year period. It isn’t simply pregnancy, maternity leave and then a return date – it’s about maintaining
Recruitment insight gathered for the report also suggests reduced ambition should not be assumed to be behind women’s decisions following maternity leave.
Helen Salt, Director of Black Cherry Recruitment, described returning women as “mostly still very ambitious and looking for career development”. She sees women considering opportunities during maternity leave and in the first 12 to 18 months after returning, while also weighing career progression against flexibility and support that may not be guaranteed elsewhere.
Taken together, the experiences raise questions not simply about whether employers can retain women after maternity leave, but whether they continue to create the conditions for them to progress.
The Second Act sets out eight practical pathways for employers, including extending support beyond the return date, separating practical support from career development, equipping managers for better conversations, protecting internal mobility and progression, creating trusted spaces for reflection and measuring what happens to women’s careers after they return.
Women contributing to the report independently identified
Rather than calling for another layer of maternity policy, the report asks employers to consider whether their existing approach supports women through the wider transition – and whether employees continue to have the confidence, opportunity and support to move forward.
The Second Act is available to download for free here.
ENDS
For media enquiries, interviews, and an embargoed copy of the report:
Rebecca Adams, [email protected],
Notes to editors
About The Second Act: The Second Act is an employer insight report from Performing Perfectly exploring women’s experiences following maternity leave and what employers can consider beyond the practical return to work.
The report shares lived experiences from 11 women from a range of personal, professional and sector backgrounds, alongside perspectives from representatives of 15 businesses and two recruitment professionals.
It provides a qualitative snapshot of individual experiences and perspectives rather than seeking to represent the experiences of all women returning from maternity leave. It identifies recurring themes and translates these into eight practical pathways for employers to consider.
Most of the women sharing lived experiences chose to contribute anonymously.
About Performing Perfectly:
Director of leadership & coaching, Georgie Partridge, has worked with Olympic athletes, national sports teams, NHS leadership teams and senior professionals across law, healthcare and business.
Performing Perfectly is also behind Her Edit, a professional development programme created to support women navigating significant career and life transitions.
Report contributions: Contributions were gathered between June and September 2026 through written contributions, questionnaires
