Parental leave, same desk, different person

‘It’s like competing in every event in the Olympics without any training’ 

This is how I used to describe the experience of coming back to work after parental leave.  Looking back this was a generous description.  

I returned from parental leave three times in six years, the stats say one of these should have been a disaster. I returned to the same organisation each time, but not quite the same role, team, or manager. They were smooth returns because while hectic, it was well managed.  

A recent study of Australian parents found that almost 92% experienced discrimination, disadvantage, or bias when returning to work after parental leave. 

Returning parents are navigating two worlds at once. A new identity at home, and a workplace that has changed in the time they have been away. When organisations leave this transition uncoordinated, the assumption is that experienced people will ‘find their feet’. They know the culture, the systems, the people... ‘they’ll slot back in’. 

They won't, not without deliberate support. Returning from parental leave is not like returning from a secondment or an extended break, and it is not a holiday. The person has changed and the workplace has changed. Left unrecognised, organisations lose good employees and this can get expensive, quickly. 

The cost of getting it wrong 

Replacing a professional in Australia can cost up to one to two times their annual salary. When an experienced professional leaves because the return was too hard, the organisation absorbs the cost of recruitment, the loss of institutional knowledge, not to mention the signal it sends to every other working parent watching.  

Where support makes the difference 

Research consistently shows that the quality of support in the first three months back, from leaders, peers, and the organisation itself, is what determines whether returning parents stay engaged, rebuild confidence, and contribute at the level they are capable of. 

In practice, that means a deliberate re-onboarding and a phased return rather than an immediate full load. Leaders who check in regularly, who get returning parents across current strategy, introduce them to new faces and clients, and who make time for conversation about the reality of the return. 

The return is visible to everyone 

Looking back on my experience, it never felt like I shouldn’t return, or that I needed to come back as I was a year ago, or that I needed to hurry up and just get back up to speed. Each manager approached early conversations with curiosity about what I had done before, and what was important to me now. We experimented together with flexible hours, part-time arrangements, and lots of open and honest conversations. At no point did I feel like I didn't belong or hurried in finding my feet. 

My experience was not down to just three exceptional managers (though they helped enormously - shoutout to Pam, Elizabeth and Deb).  It was also a reflection of the culture of the organisation which prioritised those early conversations, where a returning parent was seen as someone who needed support and understanding.  

When parents return well, the impact reaches further than one person choosing to stay. Other parents see what is possible. Leaders build capability they carry into every future transition. Done consistently, the culture shifts and employees feel a sense of belonging no matter what their life stage.  

It is a culture question, and an investment in employees across their whole working lives.  

References 

Potter, et al. (2025). National Review into Work Conditions & Discrimination among Pregnant & Parent Workers in Australia. University of South Australia, Centre for Workplace Excellence. 

Parents At Work & UNICEF Australia (2024). National Working Families Report 2024. Family Friendly Workplaces. 

Workplace Gender Equality Agency (2025). Australia's Gender Equality Scorecard 2024–25. Australian Government.