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Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study

Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012.

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Other Authors: Brand, H.E. (Heinrich Everhardus)
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Brand, H.E. (Heinrich Everhardus)
author_browse Brand, H.E. (Heinrich Everhardus)
author_facet Brand, H.E. (Heinrich Everhardus)
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/28363
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:40:08.409Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/28363 Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study Brand, H.E. (Heinrich Everhardus) judite@peoplesa.co.za Lucas, Judite Dos Anjos Female employees Working mothers Maternity leave UCTD Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. Corporate culture does not allow for talented women to return to the workplace or continue to operate effectively in the workplace whilst managing their domestic responsibilities. This is directly influencing the retention and progression into senior positions of female talent (Baggallay, 2011). While the above statement may be a narrow view considering shifts in many companies' policies aimed at supporting work-family balance, working mothers still have many concerns. Some of these concerns have been highlighted by the participants in this study, and confirm the need to better understand the challenges faced by female employees returning to work after maternity leave. The primary purpose of this study is to identify common themes arising from South African female employees' experience of returning to work following maternity, and to ultimately gain an understanding of the interests of both mothers in the workplace and employers looking to retain and nurture top female talent. The results of this study revealed that, despite viewing work positively, the participants found that returning to work after childbirth was difficult. A significant change in the attitudes of the participants towards their careers after childbirth was also found. This change is not necessarily negative and should not be interpreted as an indication of employees' loss of interest in their careers; it does, however, highlight the need for adequate management of the "workplace pregnancy" to ensure that female employees return to work. Employers who are open to the evolution of best practice for maternity leave, the management of family responsibilities, and striking a balance between employee productivity and fulfilment will position themselves as an employer of choice, thereby attracting high-calibre talent. Human Resource Management unrestricted 2013-09-07T13:22:35Z 2013-04-23 2013-09-07T13:22:35Z 2013-04-04 2012 2012-10-02 Dissertation Lucas, JDA 2012, Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28363 > C13/4/3/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28363 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10022012-123404/ © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Female employees
Working mothers
Maternity leave
UCTD
Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study
title Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study
title_full Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study
title_fullStr Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study
title_short Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave : a qualitative study
title_sort return to work experiences of female employees following maternity leave a qualitative study
topic Female employees
Working mothers
Maternity leave
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28363
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10022012-123404/