Month: Feb 2025

Transitioning to Working Motherhood

cityorgpsychLeave a comment

by Emma Appleford-John

Photo by Sarah Chai on Pexels.com

This study used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of mothers returning to work after a period of maternity leave through the lens of Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve participants who had transitioned from maternity to working mother in the last five years. Thematic analysis was carried out and three high level themes were created: organisational support, personal relationships, and self-care. The findings were applied to Schlossberg’s Transition Model and the model proved to be a viable conceptualisation for examining the transition from maternity leave to working motherhood, especially with regards to support and strategy. Practical recommendations and directions for future research are discussed.

Why is it important?

Fewer than one in five new mothers follow a full-time career after taking maternity leave (Harkness et al, 2019). Of women who were in full-time employment immediately prior to giving birth, only 44% remained in full-time employment three years later, with this number falling to 31% after five years (Harkness et al, 2019). This has contributed to the extremely slow progress made towards gender equality in the workplace (PWC, 2019). Exploring the experiences of mothers transitioning back to work from maternity leave may play a key role in understanding how women can be supported to stay in the labour market after childbirth.

Schlossberg’s Transition Theory

Schlossberg’s Transition Theory offers a model for analysing any transition (Schlossberg, 2011). A transition is any event or non-event that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles. Adults in transition can find themselves confused and in need of assistance. A person who can explore the cause more fully, understand the underlying meaning, and create a plan is more like to cope effectively and resolve the issue (Anderson et al, 2011). The 4 S System refers to the factors that impact how a person copes with change. The 4 Ss are Situation, Self, Support and Strategies – they are regarded as potential liabilities and/or assets (Schlossberg, 2005; Schlossberg, 2011).

Figure1: The Transition Model (Schlossberg, 2005)

Method

A qualitative method was used to explore the experiences of women transitioning from maternity leave to working motherhood. Semi structured interviews were selected as the most appropriate tool to collect data, as it permits the interviews to be focused while enabling the interviewer the autonomy to explore significant ideas that come up during the interview (Adeoye-Olatunde & Olenik, 2012). Thematic analysis was then employed for identifying, analysing, and reporting themes within the data.

Findings

Participants had always planned to return to work after their maternity leave, with ten out of twelve participants actively wanting to return to employment.

All participants were asked to reflect upon their experiences of returning to work from maternity leave. One participant considered their experience to have been positive, six described having a mixed experience and five had poor transitions back to work. From these reflections, three high-level themes were identified (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Themes and Sub-themes

Organisational SupportPersonal RelationshipsSelf-Care
The theme organisational support referred to the support participants experienced at a corporate level. Participants frequently spoke about organisations having policies and support mechanism however they were often unaware of their existence until after they had returned to work. Participants also spoke about logistical issues they experienced particularly in relation to IT.The findings specifically emphasise the critical role line managers and co-workers play in the transition from maternity leave to working mother.
Open communication between managers and employees signals that the organisation values an individual’s contribution and cares about their well-being (Neves et al, 2012).
While co-worker support is a factor of social support that makes working mothers feel part of a social network, and as such feel valued and loved (Prahara et al, 2023).		Self-care refers to the coping mechanisms participants employed to help themselves navigate their transition back to work.
Emotional self-care sub-theme referred to activities such as therapy, counselling, and meditation.
Physical self-care was an important coping strategy for the participants. Physical exercise helped them to cope with their transition back to work.

Applying Schlossberg’s Transition Theory

The themes and sub-themes of this study broadly support the idea that Schlossberg’s model provides a viable conceptualisation for examining the transition from maternity leave to working motherhood, especially with regards to support and strategy. Therefore, Schlossberg’s Transition Theory has the potential to be used to establish whether a mother’s resources are sufficient to support their transition back work and establish if they require any additional help (Schlossberg, 2005).

Figure 3:  The study’s finding in the context of Schlossberg’s Transition Model

Practical Recommendations

Organisations would benefit from implementing the following.

Educating their employees, particularly those in management positions, in the use of Schlossberg’s Transition Model and its ability to provide a structure for the analysis of a work transition, ensure necessary logistical arrangements, such as systems access, are made in advance of a mother returning to work, management is educated in corporate policies and support. Give mothers the space and flexibility to take advantage of a range of coping strategies.

References

Adeoye‐Olatunde, O. A., & Olenik, N. L. (2021). Research and scholarly methods: Semi‐structured interviews. Journal of the american college of clinical pharmacy, 4(10), 1358-1367.

Anderson, M. L., Goodman, J., & Schlossberg, N. K. (2011). Counselling adults in transition: Linking Schlossberg’s theory with practice in a diverse world. Springer Publishing Company.

Harkness, S., Borkowska, M., & Pelikh, A. (2019) Employment pathways and occupational change after childbirth. Government Equalities Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/840062/Bristol_Final_Report_1610.pdf 

Neves, P., & Eisenberger, R. (2012). Management communication and employee performance: The contribution of perceived organizational support. Human performance, 25(5), 452-464.

Prahara, S. A., & Rayana, S. M. (2023, June). Coworker Support and Subjective Well-Being Among Working Mothers. In International Conference of Psychology: International Conference on Indigenous Treatment and Contemporary Psychology (ICoP 2022) (pp. 89-99). Atlantis Press.

PWC (2023) Women in Work Index 2023, Closing the Gender Pay Gap for good: A focus on the motherhood penalty. Retrieved 12th May 2023 from https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html

Schlossberg, N. K. (2005). Counseling adults in transition. Springer Publishing Company.

Schlossberg, N. K. (2011). The challenge of change: The transition model and its applications. Journal of employment counseling, 48(4), 159-162.

Recruiters vs. Artificial Intelligence: How veteran recruiters conceptualise the future of recruitment

cityorgpsych

By Isha Arora (22-23)

Several reports have indicated that the integration of artificial intelligence in recruitment is on the rise (Robinson, 2019; Ore & Sposato, 2022). The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2022) also found that 60% of UK employers are using AI for recruitment. Therefore, it is a good time to start researching the views of individuals on this phenomenon and learn from veterans on how to prepare for its subsequent consequences. The rising influence of AI poses its biggest threat to job security and has left many recruiters with a fear of job loss (Hmoud & Laszlo, 2019). If you too are a recruiter, fearing that a machine will steal your job and take over the world, then the findings of this study have some comfort to offer you.

12 veteran HR professionals were interviewed for the purpose of this study. On average, the sample of this study possessed 16 years of experience in hiring, therefore, having been well-versed in the field of recruitment, they had some thought-provoking insights to offer. When asked about the future of recruitment, given the rate at which AI is being utilised, they were generally optimistic and secure about their positions. They argued that AI could never replace humans and it would only benefit them to utilise it (Albassam, 2023). Firstly because human beings possess SVG > gears computation line intelligence - Free SVG Image & Icon ...the power of empathy. Years of evolution have helped us develop into the people we are today. Our interpersonal skills help us look beyond what meets the eye and read between the lines (Singh, 2014). This trait is particularly appreciated in recruitment. When finding the right candidate for a role, it was found that matching skills on paper is not enough (Fazel-Zarandi & Fox, 2009). Recruiters are looking for a candidate who will align with the organisational culture, values of the company, and perform well (Chen et al., 2023). Sometimes, this person may come from an unconventional background or doesn’t ‘fit the criteria’, in such cases they rely on their gut and instinct. AI tools have not yet reached this level of sophistication where they can make their own decisions and defy their programming. Furthermore, our interpersonal skills also allow us to build connections and form relationships. These relationships are valued by both candidates and recruiters (Zhang & Yencha, 2022). Allowing AI tools to overtake the recruitment process might make it feel transactional and detached. This can also dissuade job seekers and influence their opinion of the organisation (Wesche & Sonderegger, 2021). At times, candidates have found AI-based hiring strategies to be unfair and restricting (Mujtaba & Mahapatra, 2019). This is because AI-based selection is restricted to the information it is fed. For example, if the original code for the software includes Kings, College of London but a candidate has mentioned KCL on their application, the software will reject their application. There are ways of working around these shortcomings, which is why constant monitoring and revision of AI tools is extremely necessary (Rai & Mishra, 2022).

Other reservations surrounding the use of AI for selection are based on the perceived threat to data security (Gupta & Mishra, 2022). Concerns surrounding the ability of an AI tool to protect the sensitive and private information of candidates as well as recruiters have been raised. While such concerns were more prominent in the past, the current study revealed that individuals are now becoming more comfortable with big data. This may be because data manipulation and tracking have become more common, and people have now become aware of it. People have the option of choosing who they share their data with and should further be transparent with other stakeholders about how they might be using their data (Fernández-Martínez & Fernández, 2020). So far, it has not dissuaded organisations from using AI, however, they are progressing with caution (Gupta et al., 2018).

Although AI is not going to take over the world of recruitment any time soon, it does have certain benefits. The advantages of AI include its ability to analyse large amounts of information quickly and efficiently, screen resumes for eligible criteria, provide chatbot support, and predict performances based on past successes (Horodyski, 2023). While some of these advantages are also prone to errors and inaccuracies, their pros tend to outweigh the cons. One major advantage of using AI tools for routine and repetitive tasks is the amount of time it would save recruiters (Hinkle, 2019; Ibrahim & Hassan, 2019; Tambe et al., 2019). Therefore, ideally, they would no longer have to concern themselves with reviewing hundreds of resumes and would simply focus on the top candidates picked by the AI tool. Moreover, they could utilize their time and pay more attention to other demanding tasks.

As the influence of AI rises, the role of recruiters may transition and diversify. It is likely that future recruiters will be more focused on the strategic aspects of AI, final decision-making, and organisational culture development (De Cremer & Kasparov, 2021). It is also advisable to train and familiarise current and future recruiters with big data and AI analytics as they will become more present (Selwyn, 2022).

In conclusion, the future of recruitment is not bleak. While the integration of AI is a very real and ongoing phenomenon, it shouldn’t be perceived as frightening. The ideal way of tackling the changing atmosphere is by addressing and accepting it. Veteran recruiters suggest approaching it with an open mind and having faith in one’s own value.