Discover Fertifa

The transition back to work after parental leave is rarely as smooth as organisations expect. While some new parents plan to leave their jobs, many do so involuntarily — not because they want to, but because their employer hasn't given them the tools to make it work.

This is especially true for new mothers. UK workplace data from the LEIA UK Report reveals that women are 1.4 times more likely than men to leave an employer due to inadequate parental support. This feeds into a broader pattern: 57% of working mothers end up leaving their organisations within two years of giving birth because the balancing act simply becomes unsustainable.

The cost to employers is substantial. Replacing a new parent who leaves due to a poorly managed return costs an organisation an average of 30–200% of their annual salary, once recruitment, temporary coverage, and lost productivity are factored in.

In this guide, we cover five practical support systems HR leaders can put in place to improve retention among parents returning from leave, with a particular focus on why infant care benefits are more important than most organisations realise.

Where organisations are falling short

Too many organisations assume that once parental leave ends, employees will simply slot back into their previous routines. The reality is far more complex. Returning to work means navigating sleep deprivation, postnatal recovery, and a logistical balancing act that didn't exist before. Without the right framework, even the most committed employees can quickly feel unseen — and start looking elsewhere.

The most commonly reported gaps include:

• No standardised return-to-work protocols. A returning parent's experience too often depends entirely on the personal empathy of their line manager, rather than a company policy they can count on.
• Over-reliance on hybrid working as a solution. Flexibility helps, but it doesn't fix everything. Even parents on hybrid schedules report high levels of debilitating stress, with some studies putting this above 40%.
• Generic EAP provision. Standard Employee Assistance Programmes offer broad mental health signposting but lack the clinical expertise to support early parenthood specifically.
• Poor visibility of family-friendly policies. Up to a third of employers show no visible commitment to how their family policies are used in practice.
• Treating parental leave as a women's issue. Workplaces that frame parental adjustments as primarily a mother's concern are missing half the picture — and signalling it to their workforce.

Why Infant Care benefits are crucial to employee wellbeing and retention

Traditional parental support usually stops the moment an employee steps back into the office. But the first year of a child's life is often when parents need employer support the most. By failing to bridge the gap between home-life challenges and workplace expectations, organisations expose themselves to significant turnover risk.

The real cost of sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is an inevitable part of new parenthood and can be hugely detrimental to both wellbeing and productivity. Difficulties with cognitive function, focus, and decision-making are extremely common among new parents. According to research from University College London and RAND Europe, productivity losses due to sleep deprivation cost the UK economy over £40 billion annually.

This often manifests as presenteeism - when an employee is physically present but not working at full capacity due to fatigue. Providing access to paediatric sleep consultants helps parents resolve sleep challenges faster, with direct benefits for their health and their performance at work.

When employers invest in infant care benefits, whether subsidised childcare, vetted infant care services, or access to paediatric sleep specialists via an employee benefit like Fertifa, the impact on health, wellbeing, and productivity can be significant. 77% of managers report direct productivity gains from implementing family-friendly policies.

How infant care benefits strengthen retention

• Earlier returns from leave. Employees with access to infant care support are more likely to return on schedule, reducing prolonged disruptions and coverage gaps.
• Stronger employee loyalty. Up to 76% of employees who use employer-sponsored childcare or backup care are more likely to stay with their employer.
• A competitive recruitment edge. Comprehensive infant care benefits go beyond what candidates expect from a standard package, making an organisation a destination employer for top talent.

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Five ways to enhance support for returning parents

1. Re-onboard returning parents properly

When an employee has been away for six, nine, or twelve months, they aren't just picking up where they left off. They're re-entering an organisation that has evolved, while managing a completely new life at home. Yet 33% of businesses still don't tailor the return experience for those coming back from extended leave.

Treat the return as a structured re-onboarding process. Implement formal catch-up meetings, provide clear updates on organisational or team changes, and allow a genuine adjustment period before expecting full productivity.

2. Offer equal support for all parents

Retention isn't a women's health issue - it's a people issue. A study by WOMBA and Hult International Business School found that 57% of fathers feel moderate to extreme guilt upon returning to work, and 72% find balancing their parental and professional identities a significant challenge.

While 58% of working mothers expect formal flexible working options on their return, only 43% of fathers feel empowered to ask for the same. Closing this gap removes the default caregiver assumption from mothers and helps retain diverse talent across your pipeline.

3. Upskill line managers to lead with empathy and clarity

Your benefits policies are only as effective as the managers delivering them. Many returning parents cite poor manager guidance, unclear protocols, and implicit pressure to perform immediately as primary sources of workplace stress.

Equip managers with specific toolkits for navigating parental leave returns — including how to have honest conversations about workload, boundaries, and practical considerations like breastfeeding and pumping facilities.

4. Provide specialised mental health support

The mental load of managing infant care alongside professional responsibilities is a significant driver of burnout. Since over half of working parents experience increased stress and anxiety during this transition, standard EAP provision often falls short.

Offer mental health support that's tailored to the postpartum period — including safe spaces and clinical conversations about parental guilt, identity shifts, and the anxiety that often accompanies leaving a young child for the first time.

5. Actively help solve the infant care puzzle

The biggest challenges for returning parents often happen outside of working hours: sleepless nights, feeding difficulties, and concerns about their child's development. When an employer helps address these directly, it creates a genuine sense of being valued.

Infant Care support with Fertifa

At Fertifa, we offer unlimited infant paediatric and parental wellbeing support and navigational advice throughout the first 12 months of an infant’s life, to ensure people have the right support, when they need it most.

Our patients have access to unlimited 1-2-1 chats and calls with the Fertifa clinical team, midwives, health visitors, and paediatric specialists for support and advice, and referrals to specialist care where needed.

If you would like to learn more, please get in touch by filling in the form below and a member of the team will get back to you!