How to Support Working Mothers from a HR Perspective

Research by charity Working Families found that 75% of mothers were employed in the UK last year. However, 52% of new mothers felt unsatisfied by the lack of support upon their return to the workplace.

Both International Women’s Day (8 March) and Mother’s Day (30 March) are scheduled for this month. As a business, employers and their HR teams should seize opportunities to up the support towards parent employees – specifically, for working mothers.

Employers have numerous lawful and ethical responsibilities for working mothers within their business. Any evidence of negligence or legal breach may impact their statutory rights, morale, and overall employee relations.

For more advice, contact one of our expert HR advisors free of charge today. Now, let’s take a look at how to support working mothers from a HR perspective.

What are the biggest struggles working mothers face?

From capping child benefits to micro increases to maternity pay… Many working mothers are left fighting to manage their professional and personal duties, all whilst creating a healthy division between the two roles. Some of the biggest struggles working mothers face include:

Gender pay gap: Research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) found the gender pay gap dropped to 13.1% in April 2024 – a 1.1% decrease from the year before. As working mothers fall into these demographics, they’re likely to face struggles with pay disparities on top of family-related financial struggles.

Workplace pension: With the new pension age set at 67 (as of 2026), Now:pensions found that women will have saved an average of £69,000 compared to £205,000 for men. Factors like career gaps, caring responsibilities, childcare costs, and lower earnings have heavily contributed to the pension gap disparity.

Sabbaticals and career breaks: Government schemes like the ‘Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW)’ aim to enhance economic empowerment for women. However, financial discrepancies have left working mothers questioning whether to return to work or elongate their career gap.

Are there new laws that apply to working mothers?

Yes, some of the most current, relevant statutory legislation that applies to working mothers include:

The Employment Rights Bill 2024: Proposal to provide employees with the right to extended redundancy protection – from pregnancy to 18 months after the expected week of childbirth.

The Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill 2024: Provides employees with the right to paid leave when facing domestic violence or abuse.

The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023: States eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave if their newborn baby is admitted to neonatal care.

The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023: Regulations state a right to request flexible working from the first day of employment.

Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave: Eligible employees are entitled to paid leave if their child dies before 18 years old; or through stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. (The Government has proposed to extend bereavement leave right to include miscarriages before 24 weeks of pregnancy).

Statutory payments: As of April 2025, the rate for Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay, and Maternity Allowance are set to increase respectfully.

How to support working mothers from a HR perspective

With economic fluctuations and cost of living crisis, businesses and staff alike are left struggling to make ends meet. For working mothers, there’s a conscious effort to maintain a divide between both their work and home life.

Employers should aim to offer them a smooth transition back into work and invest in the longevity of their professional career. Let’s take a look at how employers and HR teams can support working mothers in their business:

Update your family leave and pay policies

Employers should start by updating business policies and work documents related to family leave and pay. Ensure these are all up to date with the current law; and that your employees are fully aware of their statutory rights. Here are examples of family leave and pay policies that apply to working mothers:

· Statutory maternity leave and pay.

· Statutory adoption leave and pay.

· Statutory parental leave and pay.

· Statutory shared parental leave and pay.

Navigate flexible working requests

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses still benefit from having flexible working arrangements available for their staff – particularly parent employees.

Employers should consider flexible working requests raised from working mothers through fairness, legal compliance, and objectivity. From avoiding traffic jams to dealing with sick kids… Having the ability to change work patterns, locations, or conditions can vastly create a happier and healthier workforce.

Offer family-friendly rewards

Employers should always recognise hard work and good achievements when they happen. Not only does this celebrate their efforts, but it also leads to further performance, dedication, and loyalty towards the business.

Reward working mothers with work benefits that are applicable to their lifestyles. Offer things like extra paid leave, company subsidies, and even performance-related pay. Some family healthcare insurance packages also offer grants, like fertility treatments and egg freezing procedures.  

Encourage training and development opportunities

Historically, female representation lacks in realms for senior and leadership roles. This leads to women experiencing larger pay gaps, fewer promotional opportunities, and higher risks for redundancy selection.

Employers should encourage staff training and career development for women in the workplace. Performance management, professional mentoring, even work experience can all help grow skill-sets and recognised talented individuals.

Fix gender pay gap discrepancies

Employers should aim to minimise gender pay gap discrepancies found within their business. Invest in methods like:

• Negotiating flexible working arrangements within reason.
• Conducting pay audits to identify problems.
• Offering family-friendly work benefits; like childcare expenses, shopping vouchers, and family healthcare insurance.
• Ensuring all statutory family leave and pay rights are provided.

Get expert advice on supporting working mothers with Peninsula

Helping working mothers leads to increasing productivity, reducing turnover, and improving overall workplace culture. As an employer, it’s important to understand what challenges they face – providing the best support for their work and home life.

Peninsula offers expert advice on supporting working mothers. We offer 24/7 HR advice – helping you establish a positive, safe, and inclusive workplace environment for women-related health issues. Book a free chat with one of our HR consultants. For further information, call 0800 051 3685.

Sources

Working Families Strategy 2024 – 2029 | Working Families

International Women’s Day – March 8, 2025 | International Women’s Day

Make A Mother's Day 2025 | Mothers’ Union

Gender pay gap in the UK: 2024 | Office of National Statistics

Women would need to work an extra 19 years to close the gender pensions gap | Now:pension

FCDO's Work and Opportunities for Women programme | GOV