Half (47 per cent) of Canadian working mothers say an overall transition and communication plan would have improved their transition to maternity leave and return to work, according to a new survey by Maturn.
The survey, which polled more than 1,000 women, found 49 per cent said the most challenging part of maternity leave related to their career is the feeling of having to prove themselves to their employer upon their return, while a third (33 per cent) cited a loss of confidence in their abilities.
More than two-fifths (43 per cent) said overall flexibility would have improved their transition to maternity leave and return to work. Indeed, more than half (52 per cent) of working mothers said they were anxious about returning to work after taking maternity leave, while roughly two-fifths said they felt stressed (43 per cent) and overwhelmed (41 per cent).
The survey noted shortage of affordable and accessible childcare also makes a return to work difficult for working mothers. Fewer than one in 10 (6.2 per cent) said their workplace offered childcare and six in 10 (60 per cent) said better childcare support would have made their transition back to work easier.
Read: Working mothers fear losing ability to work from home: expert