Returning to work after maternity leave: better pay, but the return still isn't easy
Two reports came out this autumn that I'd really encourage anyone in HR to sit with for a minute, because the numbers in them don't quite match up.
Bright Horizons published its Parental Leave Benchmark 2026 at the end of September. They spoke to 250 UK employers and 620 parents who had recently come back from leave.
85% of employers now offer at least 12 weeks' full maternity pay.
50% of parents said their return to work was easy.
Half. Even with all that progress on pay, half of parents found coming back hard.
Enhanced maternity pay is working
We want to give credit where it's due here. Enhanced pay is making a real difference to how long people can afford to stay off with their baby, and UK employers have moved a long way on this in a short time.
But pay gets someone to the end of their leave. It doesn't do much for the Monday morning when they walk back in.
Why returning to work after maternity leave still goes wrong
The Bright Horizons report points straight at line managers as the place where the return breaks down most often.
One parent described it like this. She was promised updates while she was off, and they never came. Her manager changed while she was away, and nobody introduced her to the new one. There was no check in before she came back. Nothing.
None of that is about money. All of it is fixable.
And honestly, that's the bit that gets me. These are small things. A phone call. An email. Ten minutes over a coffee. They're the things that make someone feel remembered, and when they don't happen, it's kind of crushing. You can have a lovely maternity policy and still have a returner sitting at her desk on day one wondering if anyone noticed she'd gone.
Some mums are coming back early because they can't afford not to
Pregnant Then Screwed's State of the Nation 2026 adds another layer to this. Of the mothers who went back before their leave ended, 82% said they did it because they couldn't afford to stay off.
So some of the people returning to your organisation are coming back sooner than they'd planned, with money worries in the background, and maybe before they feel ready. For them, those first few weeks matter even more. They're already stretched. A bumpy start can be the thing that makes them start looking elsewhere.
How line managers can support a maternity return
The good news is that if the gap sits with managers, it's one of the easiest places to make a difference. Most managers want to get this right. They just haven't been shown how.
A few things that help:
Agree how you'll keep in touch before leave starts, and then actually do it. If you've said you'll send updates, send them.
If there's a new manager, get them to reach out before the return. Walking back into a team and meeting your boss for the first time on day one is a horrible feeling.
Book a proper return to work conversation before the first day. Talk about what's changed, what the first few weeks will look like, and what would help.
Give managers some simple guidance or training so they feel confident having these conversations, rather than avoiding them because they're worried about saying the wrong thing.
Keep checking in. The first month is often when it all really lands, so one chat at the start isn't enough.
Closing the gap between policy and experience
UK employers have done the hard work on pay, and it shows. What's missing now is the human side: the conversations, the introductions, the managers who know what to say. That's where returners feel supported or forgotten.
If you'd like a quick sense of how ready your organisation is to support parents coming back, try our free Return Readiness Scorecard. It takes a few minutes. And if you'd like to talk about maternity coaching for your returners or support for your managers, get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.
Sources: Bright Horizons, Parental Leave Benchmark 2026; Pregnant Then Screwed, State of the Nation 2026.
