New parents leaving jobs due to lack of support

The latest piece of research has found that the overwhelming majority of new parents feel that they were not given the workplace support needed, with some leaving their jobs as a result.

This research was carried out by Growth Spurt, a scheme that helps people get back into the workplace. It surveyed more than 5,000 parents who have gone back to work since 2022, and the results make for remarkable reading. 73% of them stated that their employers had failed to offer the support that they needed. Just 28% of those that took part said that they had received the necessary workplace support.

What the research also shows is that some companies do try to help new parents, but that those attempts often fall short of the mark. 42% of parents told the survey that the support offered had not been enough.

There are real consequences to this for UK companies, with 53% of new parents saying that they had quit – or thought about quitting – due to the lack of support.

This is something that HR needs to tackle through policy that can drive culture change. That could be a company’s internal team or external HR services in Buckinghamshire.

Speaking to HR Magazine, Maternity Mentor founder Natasha Kitson said:

“HR can change this by treating parental leave as a recognised career stage and incorporating a framework for managers to help support the returner.”

Kitson pointed out that many new parents go back to their jobs to find inflexibility and an overall culture of silence.