Most American women don't have the luxury of choosing to work or not to work when they become mothers. Economic necessity forces them to work at least part-time; however, women at all family income levels are returning to the workforce in large numbers. Recent Census Bureau figures show that 59 percent of women with infants less than one year old return to the workforce.

The trend is not new. But experts say that employers still do not completely understand the phenomenon and fail to understand what working mothers really need to be successful in their jobs or careers. In this labor market, employers have to be extra savvy to retain and accommodate working mothers -- and realize that this can help their bottom line, Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, tells HRWire.

The family track

Are women in the workforce treated unfairly and penalized when they decide to have children? Many experts think that the perception exists that taking time off is a detriment to a continuous and progressive career. The ideas that one can be on a career track and be a mother still don't mix easily in most women's minds. How can employers help so that mothers will have the true freedom to choose their own career path?

Numerous studies show that the biggest retention incentive for busy working mothers (and fathers) is flexible scheduling. Other perks such as onsite day care and nanny services may be important, but successful career women report that flextime is crucial.

Millions of mommies

According to the Fertility of American Women report released by the Census Bureau in October, of the 3.6 million women who gave birth from July 1997 through June 1998 (the latest figures available), approximately 59 percent return to work within a year of giving birth. Though not a huge increase from 1987, when 51 percent of women returned to work within a year of giving birth, only 31 percent did so in 1976.

According to census analyst Amaru Bachu, this year's report was the first that recognized the importance of tracking how much these women work, and not merely whether they were in the workforce or not. Of the surveyed moms who returned to the workforce within a year, 61 percent worked full-time, 29 percent part-time and 20 percent were unemployed but actively seeking work.

Not just for the money

The Census Bureau finds a strong correlation between a woman's educational level and her return to the workforce within a year of having a child. Of the new mothers surveyed, 68 percent with one or more years of college returned to work, while 58 percent of those with a high school education and 38 percent without a high school diploma did so.

Also significant is the correlation between family income and the return to work of the mother. When the total household income was higher, women were more likely to return to work within a year of giving birth. Two-thirds of women with family incomes of more than $75,000 did so. At the lower end of the spectrum, only half of women with a family income of $10,000 to $19,999 returned to work quickly after giving birth.

Galinsky says she is not surprised that new mothers who may have less financial needs still return to work. "Women's self-image has changed. People don't work simply for money." However, she also contends that women do return to work to help support their family financially as well as emotionally. In addition, "being able to work is also insurance in case of divorce," Galinsky notes.

Flex time all the time?

The two key retention tools HR should be aware that keep working moms content in the workplace are flexibility and supervisory support, Galinsky says. Flexibility includes more than just flex time, she notes.

"A reduced schedule may work for some women," Galinsky tells HRWire. "But employers must be responsive to requests for different types of flexible scheduling. Some women may not want to take a long leave, but would rather come back to work gradually."

What works for one employer may not be relevant to another, and for this reason, a needs assessment is crucial, Galinsky says. "You have to know what the problem is before you attempt to solve it. For example, onsite child care may be a solution for some companies, but in other places, women won't want to commute to work with their children."

A study by non-profit research organization Catalyst followed 24 career women who used flexible work arrangements long before they were popular -- 10 years ago. "Findings from this report suggests that even though working mothers may reduce career involvement for a period of time -- with the support of the right company -- career advancement does not have to get sidelined," Catalyst's Vice President of Research Marcia Brumit Kropf says.

Yet many women are afraid to ask for too much flexibility in the workplace. A recent survey by staffing and consulting firm Flexible Resources Inc. found that 59 percent of women they surveyed had to quit their jobs to obtain a flexible schedule; 64 percent of those hadn't asked their company if a flexible schedule could be devised.

On the one side, new mothers fear their career will be jeopardized if they request too much flexibility, Galinsky says. On the other, "employers have the assumption that if you give an inch, workers will take a mile. But our studies have found that this is wrong."

To combat these fears on both the part of the employee and employer, Galinsky suggests that supervisors must be specially trained -- and made to see that the productivity of employees is at stake.

"Support from the supervisor, and a good attitude about flex time from him or her is critical," Galinsky says. "Companies have to educate supervisors. They need to move away from looking at flex time as an entitlement and see it as a business strategy and retention tool."

Nadine Mockler, president of Flexible Resources, agrees that flexible work arrangements are not only family-friendly but make sense for the bottom-line. "Flexible work arrangements should no longer be viewed as an accommodation to a new parent. They are a bottom-line solution to attracting and retaining valuable employees and to creating healthy work-family balance," Mockler says.

And, unlike other costly perks such as stock options and signing bonuses, flexible work arrangements cost nothing for the company, Mockler notes.

New economy doesn't mean stay at home

In this era of low unemployment and relative prosperity, employers may assume that more mothers would like to stay home with their children. But studies don't bear this out, and many economists believe that the current prosperous state of the American economy is partly due to the additional income of mothers in the workforce. Employers have no choice but to help these women in their careers, by encouraging them to stay marketable so time off for child rearing is not a career obstacle and by welcoming them back to the workforce with supportive attitudes and flexible work arrangements.

This article is courtesy of HRWire. All rights reserved.