Where are you right now with your team member? Your answer will direct you to the right part of the system for where you are today.
CARE Aware Leadership System · Crib Shift
You have the opportunity to change the lives of parents in construction.
Pregnancy and parental leave is the moment the industry loses women who could be leading it. Your role in what happens next is more significant than most managers realise.
of women in construction do not return to work following parental leave.
Galea et al. (2018), as cited in NAWIC Parental Leave Research Literature Review (p.11)
What this is about
This isn't a policy exercise. It's a leadership one.
Construction loses experienced women at the moment they've accumulated real credibility, site knowledge, and relationships. Pregnancy and parental leave is when that expertise walks out the door — not because women choose to leave, but because returning is harder than it has to be.
The research is clear: the manager relationship is the single most powerful predictor of whether a woman returns. Not the policy. Not the HR process. You. This system is built to help you show up at that standard.
"
My hope is that after reading this system, and understanding how significant your sphere of influence is at this stage of a parent's life and career, you do one thing differently.
Have one conversation that changes how someone feels about coming back from parental leave. Make one decision that holds. Interrupt one bias. Elevate one career. That's not a small thing — that's a ripple that travels further than you'll ever see.
And that is the whole point.
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You already do this
You already know who's ready for the next step. Who needs a push. Whose name you mention in the right rooms. This system asks you to carry that same attention through the one period when it matters most — and when people least expect it.
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Think of the best manager you ever had
Chances are, they made you feel like your development mattered even when it wasn't convenient. That's what this asks of you. It's rarer in construction than it should be — which makes it more visible, and more valued, when you do it.
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Come back when you need it
You don't have to read this front to back. Each section works on its own — use it at the phase you're in. Disclosure. Pre-parental-leave. Return. The self-assessment when you want an honest read on where you actually are.
Inside this system
The full system, at a glance.
Use what you need, when you need it. Every section works independently — come back as phases shift.
Moves the problem from the industry to your team — and puts you at the centre of the solution.
Three things that change how you read everything that follows
This is not a pipeline problem.
Women are already here. The exit happens at one specific, predictable moment — the First 1000 Days. That moment is inside your control.
Policy is not the answer. You are.
68% of working mums say their manager and workplace culture is the biggest factor in making their return to work experience easier or harder. Not HR. Not the parental leave policy. You.
Most damage is accidental.
The managers who lose talented women are rarely unsupportive. They're underprepared — operating without a framework in a moment that demands one.
"
There wasn't really a framework or guidance. It just depended on who your manager was.
— Construction professional, NAWIC research, University of Sydney, 2025
This week
One question
Who on my current team — or in the last two years — might this data be describing?
One shift
Before your next team meeting, check who in your team is pregnant, on parental leave, or recently back. If you don't know — that's the shift. Find out.
What is happening to mothers in construction — and why leaders are the turning point.
Right now, across your projects and teams, something predictable is happening — and going unmanaged. Women who are skilled, experienced, and invested in construction careers are leaving the industry at exactly the moment they become mothers. Not because they have stopped caring about their work. Because the system makes it too hard to stay.
This section lays out the scale of that loss — in data, in dollars, and in human terms. It is not designed to assign blame. Most managers who lose talented women during this transition are not unsupportive people. They are underprepared leaders in an industry that has never given them the tools for this moment.
That is precisely what this toolkit changes.
01
The Scale of the Problem
Construction has a retention problem — not a pipeline problem.
The industry has spent years and significant resources recruiting women. Campaigns, partnerships, scholarships, outreach. Yet women represent just 22% of the construction workforce in Australia — and that figure includes office-based roles. On-site, women remain a rare exception.
The most common exit point for women in construction is not a dramatic incident. It is a quiet, predictable sequence: pregnancy, parental leave, and return to work. What this toolkit calls the First 1000 Days.
36%
of women in construction experience pregnancy discrimination — the highest rate of any Australian industry.
NAWIC/Hamilton et al., 2025, University of Sydney
22.4%
are made redundant, restructured out, or have their contract not renewed around the time of parental leave.
NAWIC/Hamilton et al., 2025, University of Sydney
22%
of returning mothers had a structured re-entry plan. The rest return improvising — alone.
NAWIC/Hamilton et al., 2025, University of Sydney
91.8%
of women experienced discrimination during their return-to-work phase — the highest rate across all phases of the parental journey.
National Review, Potter et al., 2024, UniSA
60%+
of new mothers returning to work said their opinions were ignored, they felt excluded, and were given unmanageable workloads.
National Review, Potter et al., 2024, UniSA
31.8%
median gender pay gap in construction — one of the highest of any Australian industry. Men are 78% of the sector.
WGEA, 2024
These are not edge cases. They are structural patterns playing out right now — on your projects, in your teams. When more than one in three pregnant women in construction experiences discrimination, we have to assume this is happening in every organisation, including yours.
When a mother leaves construction, she rarely changes companies. She leaves the industry entirely. In a sector already facing a critical skills shortage, that is not an attrition problem. It is a compounding crisis — one that begins with the First 1000 Days.
Retention is not just cheaper than recruitment. It is the only sustainable path to gender balance in construction.
02
Why This Is a Leadership Issue
Policies do not retain women. Managers do.
Most companies point to their parental leave policy as evidence they are doing the right thing. Policies matter — but they are not what determines whether a woman stays. Research is unequivocal on this point:
68%
of working mums cited their manager and workplace culture as the biggest factor that can make their return to work experience easier or harder.
The Future of Working Motherhood Report, Executive Moms
In research across the NSW construction industry, many women were the first person in their workplace ever to take parental leave. Their managers were not unsupportive — they were underprepared. They had no prior experience to draw from, no playbook, no instinct for what good leadership looked like in this moment.
The result was not discrimination by design. It was a leadership vacuum — and nature filled it with the default: silence, assumption, and drift.
What goes wrong — and when
The most damaging manager behaviours during this transition are rarely overt. They are:
Silence
Avoiding conversations about pregnancy or return because it feels awkward or legally risky. She reads this as: my manager doesn't know how to handle this. I should start planning my exit.
Assumptions
Deciding on her behalf that she won't want a challenging project, a promotion, or interstate travel — once pregnant or back from parental leave. Career decisions made for her, without her.
Invisibility
Failing to stay in contact during parental leave. More than 50% of women on parental leave were not told about workplace changes affecting their role. Out of sight becomes out of the pipeline.
Rigidity
Treating flexible working requests as personal accommodations rather than legitimate performance tools — flexibility on paper that doesn't translate into practice.
None of these behaviours require bad intent. They require only the absence of preparation. Managers are not failing because they do not care. They are failing because no one has ever shown them what good looks like.
What happens when leaders are prepared
40%
of mothers left a role or employer after having a baby due to lack of support.
Executive Moms, The Future of Working Motherhood, 2026
65%
of mothers who left their job did so within the first year post-return — the window this toolkit directly addresses.
Executive Moms, The Future of Working Motherhood, 2026
97%
said they would stay longer at a company that meaningfully supports working mothers.
Executive Moms, The Future of Working Motherhood, 2026
"There wasn't really a framework or guidance. It just depended on who your manager was."
— Construction professional, NAWIC research
Leadership during this transition is not about being perfect. It is about being present, proactive, and human. This toolkit gives you the framework, the language, and the timing to do exactly that.
03
The First 1000 Days — Six Phases
Pregnancy, parental leave, and return to work are not a single event. They are a 1000-day journey.
Most maternal attrition is not sudden. It accumulates across these phases, decision by decision, conversation by conversation — or the absence of them. Understanding the shape of this journey is what allows you to act with precision rather than guesswork.
Phase 01
Disclosure
Weeks 1–2 after telling you
She is at her most vulnerable. The first response sets the tone for everything that follows. Trust is built — or broken — in this single moment. Silence or awkwardness is read as: my career is already being written off.
Phase 02
Pre-Parental Leave
Remaining months of pregnancy
Career sidelining begins — often quietly, often with good intentions. Reduced scope, removed from key projects, excluded from decisions. She is watching what she is given, and what is taken away. 21.6% of pregnant women had their job role altered without consent.
Phase 03
Parental Leave Period
While she is away
Out of sight, out of pipeline. More than 50% of women on parental leave are not informed of workplace changes affecting them. The manager who stays in appropriate contact during this period is exceptional — and she will remember it.
Phase 04
Pre-Return
4–6 weeks before she comes back
Return is treated as a logistics exercise. The role is ready. She is not. Anxiety about professional identity, childcare, and how she will be received is peaking. Almost one in five women returning from parental leave were refused flexible working requests.
Phase 05
First 90 Days Back
Return through the first three months
The highest-risk window for attrition. She is managing new childcare arrangements, sleep deprivation, identity shift, and performance pressure simultaneously. 91.8% of mothers experience discrimination at this stage. Small, visible acts of support now have outsized impact.
Phase 06
Stabilisation
3–24 months post-return
She is finding her rhythm — but also recalibrating her ambitions. Leaders who engage her in meaningful development conversations now keep her long-term. Retention without progression is a delayed exit.
Every manager decision in the First 1000 Days creates impact at three levels simultaneously: individual, institutional, and systemic. You are not neutral in this system. You are the system.
04
The Real Cost of Losing Mothers
When a mother leaves construction, the loss is not a headcount number. It is a cascade.
And unlike most attrition, she usually does not change companies. She leaves the industry entirely.
The financial cost
50–150%
Cost to replace a mid-level professional
of their annual salary, including recruitment, training, lost productivity, and knowledge transfer time. For specialist or senior construction roles, this rises to 200% of salary.
$3.8B
Total cost Australian businesses lose to turnover annually
Employee turnover costs Australian businesses $3.8 billion per year — and construction has one of the highest turnover rates of any sector at 21% per annum.
31.8%
Construction gender pay gap — median
The construction industry has one of the highest gender pay gaps in Australia. Women who stay earn significantly less. Women who exit take this with them — and remember it.
53%
The motherhood penalty — earnings gap in first 5 years
Australian women's earnings fall 53% behind men's in the first 5 years of parenthood. A similar 47% gap persists for the first 10 years. Men's earnings are unaffected.
Investing in manager training, structured re-entry plans, and genuine flexibility for returning mothers does not require an outsized budget. It requires intention, preparation, and follow-through. The return on that investment — in talent retained, knowledge preserved, and culture built — is measurable and significant.
97% of mothers say they would stay longer at a company that meaningfully supports working mothers. They are telling you what they need. This toolkit tells you how to deliver it.
Executive Moms, The Future of Working Motherhood, 2026
The case for change is not moral. It is mathematical. Construction cannot afford to keep losing women at the point they become mothers. The industry that learns to support this transition will not only retain talented professionals — it will become the employer of choice for the next generation of leaders.
"Every mother who stays shows another woman it is possible. Every supportive manager creates precedent for the next team. What is good for mothers is good for fathers, for carers, and for construction."
Your commitment — Section One
The one thing I will do before my next team meeting
By when
Hamilton, M., Galea, N., Williams, A. & Hanna-Osborne, S. (2025). Building Better Workplaces: A Toolkit for Retaining Women Through Pregnancy, parental leave and return to Work in the NSW Construction Industry. University of Sydney / NAWIC.
Potter, R., Foley, K., Richter, S., Cleggett, S., Dollard, M., Parkin, A., Brough, P. & Lushington, K. (2024). National Review: Work Conditions & Discrimination among Pregnant & Parent Workers in Australia. University of South Australia (UniSA).
Executive Moms (2026). The Future of Working Motherhood 2026. Dallas, TX: Executive Moms.
Names four forces already operating in your team — so you can finally see what you've been looking at.
Three things to know before the concepts land
You can't interrupt what you can't name.
Most leadership failure here isn't intentional — it happens in the gap between good intentions and a missing framework. These four concepts close that gap.
One of these will feel uncomfortable.
The Maternal Wall is bias dressed as kindness — decisions made for women rather than with them. Most managers who've done this didn't know they were doing it.
The section doesn't end where you expect.
M4 reframes everything before it. The attrition risk is highest at the point of least capability loss. That changes what retention is actually worth.
The four concepts you're about to learn
If we don't name it, we don't change it. We don't fund it. We don't study it. We don't support it.
M1
Matrescence
The developmental transition into motherhood. It has a neuroscience behind it that changes how you assess performance.
M2
The Maternal Wall
Removing a project to reduce her stress. Assuming she won't want the promotion. That's the wall — and it usually comes from good intentions.
M3
The Motherhood Penalty
A structural lifetime earnings reset that starts in the First 1000 Days. Employers shape whether it compounds or begins to reverse.
M4
The Maternal Asset
The commercially valuable capability built through caregiving. It only pays back if she stays — and she's most at risk of leaving when she's least at risk of underperforming.
This week
One question
Which of these four forces is already operating in my team — and have I been seeing it clearly?
One shift
Pick one of the Four Ms. Use the word — even just internally — the next time you're watching a decision being made about someone on parental leave or recently back. Notice whether naming it changes what you see. That's the whole shift.
Four concepts every leader needs to understand before they can lead.
Understanding the system you operate in changes how you operate within it. The four concepts in this section are not academic exercises — they are the invisible architecture that shapes every mother's experience in your workplace, including right now, on your current team.
Each of the Four Ms describes something real, measurable, and named. That naming is not incidental. It is the point. You cannot interrupt a pattern you cannot see. You cannot change a dynamic you have no language for. You cannot lead well through a transition that has never been explained to you.
Once you can see these four forces — once you can name them — you cannot unsee them. And that is where capable leadership becomes possible.
M 1
M1 — The First Concept
Matrescence
The life stage we never named
We have a word for adolescence. For menopause. For grief, for midlife, for retirement. We have entire industries of research, cultural frameworks, and institutional support built around every major human transition. Except one.
Matrescence — the developmental passage into motherhood — was coined in the 1970s by medical anthropologist Dana Raphael. It describes a transformation that is simultaneously hormonal, neurological, physical, psychological, and social. The word existed for fifty years before it appeared in the New York Times for the first time, in 2017.
The neuroscience — what is actually happening
Matrescence is not a metaphor. It is a documented neurodevelopmental period. Brain imaging studies show that pregnancy produces structural changes to grey matter that are morphologically comparable to those observed during adolescence. The same hormones that surge through an adolescent flood the maternal brain during pregnancy, driving changes to mood, memory, social cognition, and perception. This is not an illness. It is not a deficit. It is a brain being reorganised for a new and enormously complex task.
80%
of new mothers report significant cognitive and emotional changes during the transition to motherhood — yet most have no language to describe what they are experiencing.
Orchard et al., Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2023
Matrescence and adolescence — the parallel no one applies
The comparison to adolescence is clinically grounded — and socially revealing. Society has built entire support structures around the awkwardness of adolescence. The parallel holds scientifically. It does not hold culturally.
What we accept about adolescence
What we expect from matrescence
A developmental transition, not a dysfunction
Normal performance, from day one of return
Hormonal shifts as a recognised explanation for behaviour
Hormonal changes — but happiness and productivity are assumed
Brain restructuring as a reason for support
Adapting brain — but assessed against pre-change baseline
New identity forming — patience while it settles
Identity disruption — but the 'old self' is expected back immediately
Society adjusts; the individual is not expected to simply push through
The individual is expected to push through — alone
"The lived experiences of women go unspoken until the zeitgeist is ready to thunder."
— Dr Alexandra Sacks
If you use the word matrescence in a return-to-work conversation, you do something simple but powerful: you name the transition the woman in front of you is moving through. That naming creates permission to talk about it. That permission is itself a form of support.
M 2
M2 — The Second Concept
The Maternal Wall
Bias dressed up as kindness
While some women press their nose against the glass ceiling — many mothers never get near it. What stops them is the maternal wall.
Named by legal scholar Joan Williams in 2004, the maternal wall describes the discrimination and bias that working mothers — and even women perceived as future mothers — face in the workplace. It is triggered not by gender alone, but specifically by pregnancy, parenthood, or even the assumption of future pregnancy.
79%
less likely to be hired than equally qualified women without children — when the only difference on the resume is motherhood.
Correll, Benard & Paik, 2007, American Journal of Sociology
$11K
less offered in starting salary to mothers compared to equally qualified women without children — in the same hiring round.
Correll, Benard & Paik, 2007, American Journal of Sociology
24%
of women exit the labour market in their first year of motherhood. Five years later, 15% are still absent. The wall has a long shadow.
Child Penalty Atlas, Kleven et al., 2023
A manager who quietly removes travel from a new mother's role believes he is being supportive. He is, in fact, making career decisions on her behalf — without asking, without consulting, and without her consent. That is the maternal wall in practice: not malice, not intention. Assumption — and the action it produces.
How the maternal wall shows up — at every stage
Maybe Baby Bias
Employers offer less favourable contracts, fewer benefits, and more temporary roles to young childless women — simply because they are assumed to be pre-motherhood.
At Disclosure
Competence is doubted from the moment of announcement. Responsibilities are quietly reduced, framed as protection. She reads this as: my career is already being written off.
During Pregnancy
Removed from leadership-track projects without being asked. Expected to overperform to prove she is still committed. The bar rises as the support reduces.
On Parental Leave
Excluded from performance review cycles and bonus consideration. Not consulted on role changes. The professional world moves without her — and on return, she finds the landscape has shifted.
On Return
Assigned less interesting work. Considered unsuitable for management. Career advancement stalled — sometimes permanently, without anyone acknowledging it happened.
If She Succeeds
Highly successful mothers face a 'dominance penalty': rated as less warm and likeable when they demonstrate competence and ambition. Penalised in salary and promotion for it.
What you can do — starting now
Ask Before Removing
Before reducing scope, removing travel, or changing responsibility — ask. "I want to make sure we're setting you up well. What would actually help you right now?"
Sponsor, Don't Just Support
Emotional support is necessary but insufficient. Active career sponsorship — advocating for her in rooms she is not in — is what counters the invisible forces working against her progression.
Audit Your Assumptions
Who are you not putting forward for the next project because you have decided they are not ready? Who have you mentally moved to a slower track? Is that their decision — or yours?
Name It With Your Team
When managers and teams can name the maternal wall, they gain language to interrupt it. Awareness of a cognitive shortcut is itself a partial corrective to that shortcut.
M 3
M3 — The Third Concept
The Motherhood Penalty
The earnings reset no one asked for
Before children, men and women in Australia track relatively similarly in earnings. After children, trajectories diverge sharply — and never fully reconverge.
Australia holds the number-one global ranking for women's educational attainment. Women in Australia enter the workforce at higher rates than women in many of the world's most gender-equal nations — including Sweden. Then motherhood arrives. And the trajectory changes.
70th
Australia's ranking for women's economic participation — down from 12th in 2006. The world's best-educated female workforce participates at one of the lowest rates among developed nations. The drop happens at motherhood.
Back of the Pack Report, The Parenthood / Equity Economics, 2021
What the penalty actually looks like across a lifetime
$696K
additional lifetime earnings the average Australian woman would accumulate if she had the same post-child workforce participation as the average Swedish mother.
Back of the Pack, The Parenthood / Equity Economics, 2021
$180K
additional superannuation she would retire with under those same conditions — more than the current average total super balance of Australian women aged 50–54.
Back of the Pack, The Parenthood / Equity Economics, 2021
28.2pp
lower workforce participation for mothers compared to fathers when the youngest child is aged 0–5. This participation gap drives the earnings gap — not capability.
Back of the Pack, The Parenthood / Equity Economics, 2021
Australian Treasury research is clear: the earnings gap is not primarily caused by immediate wage discrimination. It is caused by reduced workforce participation, fewer working hours, increased part-time work, and slower career progression — all driven by the structural conditions mothers face on return.
You are the intervention. The conditions you create — or fail to create — during the First 1000 Days determine whether the penalty compounds on your watch, or begins to reverse.
M 4
M4 — The Fourth Concept
The Maternal Asset
The capability you already paid for
Everything you have read in M1, M2, and M3 describes forces working against mothers in the workplace. This section describes the force working the other way — and why that asset only delivers if she stays.
What the research does not show is any evidence of reduced cognitive capability or lower output quality within working hours. The penalty is about hours and participation. Not performance. Inside working hours, something different — and commercially significant — tends to happen.
What caregiving builds at work
Prioritisation under severe time constraints
→ Strategic focus and output discipline
Task-switching across radically competing demands
→ Attention management and cognitive flexibility
Emotional regulation under sustained fatigue
→ Inhibitory control and composure under pressure
Risk anticipation and safety scanning
→ Decision speed and risk management in complex environments
Long-range planning with incomplete information
→ Resilience and scenario planning under uncertainty
These are not soft skills. They are the performance drivers that determine success in complex environments. They are, notably, exactly the capabilities that construction environments require.
You are not managing diminished employees. You are managing employees in the middle of a genuine neurodevelopmental transition — one that is simultaneously the highest-risk window for attrition and the lowest-risk window for actual capability loss. Retention at this moment is not charity. It is strategy.
The Four Ms — At a Glance
Four forces. One transition. One leader who makes the difference.
Summary — what it is, why it matters, what you do with it
M1
Matrescence
The developmental transition into motherhood. Hormonal, neurological, physical, psychological, and social all at once.
Without a name, there is no framework. Without a framework, there is no support — only expectation.
Name the transition. Use the word. Do not assess her against her pre-pregnancy baseline.
M2
The Maternal Wall
Bias triggered by pregnancy, parenthood, or even the assumption of future pregnancy. Usually comes from good intentions.
The bias operates before she is even a mother. It shapes hiring, scope, promotion, and sponsorship decisions — invisibly, unless named.
Ask before removing. Consult before reducing scope. Never make career decisions for a mother without her participation.
M3
The Motherhood Penalty
The structural earnings reset that follows children. Australia ranks 1st in education and 70th in post-child participation.
The penalty is driven by participation and hours — not capability. Flexible roles without structural redesign can entrench it.
Flexibility alone is not enough. Active career investment — promotion, review, sponsorship — is what prevents the penalty compounding.
M4
The Maternal Asset
The commercially valuable capability built through caregiving: executive function, output focus, risk anticipation, emotional regulation.
The attrition risk is highest at the point of least capability decline. You have already invested years building this person.
Retention without progression is a longer exit. Invest actively in her trajectory — not just her return.
Every mother who stays shows another woman it is possible. Every manager who leads well through this transition creates precedent for the next team. What is good for mothers is good for fathers, good for carers, and good for construction.
Your commitment — Section Two
Which of the Four Ms will I focus on first — and what will I do differently?
By when
Orchard, E.R., Rutherford, H.J.V., Holmes, A.J. & Jamadar, S.D. (2023). Matrescence: lifetime impact of motherhood on cognition and the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(3), 302–316.
Carmona, S. et al. (2019). Pregnancy and adolescence entail similar neuroanatomical adaptations. Human Brain Mapping, 40, 2143–2152.
de Lange, A.G. et al. (2019). Women's brain aging: Effects of sex-chromosome complement and reproductive-related hormones. PNAS, 116(25), 12251–12258.
Williams, J.C. (2004, October). The maternal wall. Harvard Business Review.
Correll, S.J., Benard, S. & Paik, I. (2007). Getting a job: is there a motherhood penalty? American Journal of Sociology, 112(5), 1297–1338.
Kleven, H. et al. (2023). Child Penalties Across Countries: Evidence and Explanations. Child Penalty Atlas.
Bahar, E. et al. (2023). Children and the Gender Earnings Gap: Evidence for Australia. Australian Treasury.
The Parenthood / Equity Economics (2021). Back of the Pack: How Australia's Parenting Policies are Failing Women and Our Economy.
Hamilton, M., Galea, N., Williams, A. & Hanna-Osborne, S. (2025). Building Better Workplaces. University of Sydney / NAWIC.
Why supporting fathers is essential — for families, for equity, and for a construction industry that works for everyone.
This toolkit began with mothers. It had to. But this program was never only about mothers. The decisions that drive women out of construction — the assumptions, the norms, the invisible penalties — are the same decisions that limit fathers too. Supporting mothers is good leadership. Supporting fathers completes the picture.
The Fatherhood Gap
What fathers in construction are experiencing
Men are experiencing this transition too — and the system is not built for them either.
When a baby arrives, fatherhood is treated as a side note. In most workplaces, the standard response to a man announcing his partner's pregnancy is a handshake and a joke. The profound identity shift he is about to undergo is invisible. This isn't just a personal oversight. It is a structural one.
3 weeks
Average paid paternity leave in half of countries with any paternity parental leave at all.
ILO
<half
of fathers take the full amount of parental leave they are entitled to, globally.
Promundo, 2019
77%
of partnered Australian fathers are in full-time work — the same rate as before having children.
ABS Census 2016
4–6%
of couple fathers in Australia work part-time to care for children — despite being legally entitled to request it.
LSAC research
46%
of Australian fathers report feeling always or often rushed or pressed for time.
LSAC research
When fathers carry work-family conflict, children carry it too. Fathers who had persistent high work–family conflict showed the worst outcomes across all domains — for themselves, their partners, and their children. When fathers were able to move out of work–family conflict, mental health improved for themselves AND their children.
Dinh et al., LSAC 2017 — 10-year longitudinal study of 2,496 fathers
The Four Fs
Four things every leader needs to understand about fathers
The same system that limits mothers limits fathers. The same leadership changes both.
F1
F1 — The First Concept
Patrescence
The transition into fatherhood that no one names
▼
What it is
The developmental transition into fatherhood — neurological, hormonal, psychological and social. Research shows fathers experience real hormonal changes (increased oxytocin, decreased testosterone) when actively caregiving. This transformation is real. It is unnamed. And without a name, it receives no support.
Why it matters
Fathers cannot process a transition they cannot name. In the absence of language, they default to the only available script: show up, provide, say nothing. This silence benefits no one — not fathers, not their partners, not their children.
What leaders do
Use the word patrescence. Ask your team members how the transition is going. Create permission to talk about it. Don't assume a quiet father is a fine father.
F2
F2 — The Second Concept
The Paternity Wall
The professional cost of being a present father
▼
What it is
Fathers who take parental leave, request flexible hours, or visibly prioritise parenting face workplace stigma. They are seen as less committed, less promotable, less serious. Research consistently shows that men who prioritise caregiving face professional penalties that parallel those experienced by mothers — just less discussed.
Why it matters
Fathers fear workplace stigma if they balance childcare and professional responsibilities. Many managers are the first obstacle, not the system — because they have internalised norms that say visible caregiving is a professional liability for men.
What leaders do
Model it. If you are a parent, be visible about it without apology. When a father takes parental leave or adjusts his hours, treat it as normal and professional — because it is. The tone you set determines what fathers on your team believe is safe.
F3
F3 — The Third Concept
The Fatherhood Dividend
The family-wide return on involved fathers
▼
What it is
When fathers are actively involved in early childhood, the returns are measurable and significant: better cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes for children, reduced maternal stress, lower rates of postpartum depression in mothers, more equitable division of domestic labour, and stronger couple relationships.
Why it matters
Father involvement isn't just good for fathers — it is a protective factor for the entire family. Mothers who feel supported by fathers parent more positively and have higher life satisfaction. Children with involved fathers show improved peer relations, higher self-esteem and lower rates of depression.
What leaders do
Frame paternity leave not as a cost or a favour — but as an investment with returns across the whole family unit. The family wellbeing dividend is also a workplace productivity dividend. Stable, supported families produce more focused, present employees.
F4
F4 — The Fourth Concept
The Intergenerational Cycle
What children learn from watching their fathers
▼
What it is
Children's future relationships are shaped profoundly by what they witness at home. Boys who see their fathers involved in unpaid care work are significantly more likely to be involved carers as adults. Girls whose fathers model equitable relationships are more likely to have ambitious career aspirations.
Why it matters
Every father who is enabled — or prevented — from being present at home is teaching the next generation what is normal. Managers who support fathers are contributing to gender equity across generations, not just in their teams.
What leaders do
Every time you support a father's involvement, you are writing a script that his children will carry forward. That is a profound kind of leadership. Name it. Own it.
The Both/And Case
What is good for mothers will be good for fathers
There is sometimes an assumption that supporting mothers and fathers are in competition. The evidence says otherwise.
The structural changes that help mothers return to work, progress their careers, and stay in construction are the same structural changes that give fathers permission to be present. Flexible work. Normalised parental leave. Managers who ask rather than assume. Teams where parenthood is treated as a phase of life, not a professional liability.
When mothers are supported at work
Fathers have more permission to share the load at home. The division of domestic labour becomes more equitable. Both parents benefit.
When fathers take parental leave and are present
Mothers return to work with more support. Postpartum depression rates fall. Family stress reduces. Children thrive.
When workplace culture normalises caregiving for men
The stigma around parental leave for both mothers AND fathers reduces. Everyone gains access to the same workplace flexibility.
When fathers model equitable caregiving
Their daughters aspire higher. Their sons engage more. The next generation enters the workforce with different expectations.
The How
What this looks like in practice
Concrete actions that support fathers — and strengthen the whole team.
Normalise paternity leave
Treat paternity leave as a normal professional event, not an exception. Ask when a team member is becoming a father, acknowledge the transition, and have a plan in place. The silence around fatherhood is not neutral — it is a message.
Watch for the Paternity Wall
If a father on your team takes parental leave and comes back to reduced opportunity, watch how the team responds. Stigma around male caregiving is real and often unspoken. Interrupt it with your own behaviour.
Make flexibility structural
A father who has to individually negotiate every school drop-off is in a precarious position. Build flexibility into team culture so that any parent — regardless of gender — can use it without career risk.
Ask the question you'd ask a mother
If you'd ask a returning mother how her transition is going, ask a returning father the same question. The transition is real for both. The care you extend should be consistent.
Model it if you can
If you are a parent, visibility matters. Being open about leaving on time for family, about taking your parental leave, about the reality of parenting, gives others permission. You don't have to share details. You just have to not hide it.
"Helping fathers get off to a good start when children are born will pay dividends later on, as patterns established early persist."
— Baxter & Smart, Fathering in Australia Among Couple Families With Young Children, AIFS
Every father you support shows another man it's possible. Every mother you retain proves that construction can work for families. This is the industry we're building. Let's build it together.
Your commitment — Section Three
One thing I will do differently for fathers on my team
By when
Baxter, J. & Smart, D. (2011, 2018). Fathering in Australia Among Couple Families With Young Children. AIFS.
Dinh, H., Cooklin, A.R., Leach, L.S., Westrupp, E.M., Nicholson, J.M. & Strazdins, L. (2017). Parents' transitions into and out of work-family conflict and children's mental health. Social Science & Medicine, 194, 148–158. [LSAC 10-year longitudinal study]
Promundo (2019). State of the World's Fathers. Washington DC: Promundo-US.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Census of Population and Housing, 2016.
A capability framework for construction leaders. Not a policy. Not a checklist. A description of what good leadership looks and sounds like in practice.
How to use this framework
For yourself
Read the capability definition. Be honest. Pick one behaviour to change. Come back in 90 days.
With your team
Use the Would / Would Not Expect to See behaviours in team conversations. Ask: which of these do we do consistently? Which do we quietly avoid?
In performance conversations
Reference the Framework when giving feedback on leadership behaviour — not just what was delivered, but how people were led through the parental leave journey.
For recruitment and promotion
Use the capability definitions to set expectations for what good leadership looks like. Make CARE behaviours visible in job descriptions and promotion criteria.
Alongside the Leadership Arc
When a team member discloses pregnancy or returns from parental leave, check the Arc for the relevant phase. Know the risk. Know what to do. Don't improvise.
If you have a relationship with someone going through pregnancy, parental leave or return to work — this framework is for you. The person closest to the situation carries the most responsibility. That's the point.
C
Pillar One · Most active: Phases 01, 02, 03
Connect with Courage
Build the relationship where truth can be told.
A leader who CONNECTs with Courage creates the conditions where a parent can tell the truth about what they need — and trust it won't be used against them. They initiate the conversations others avoid, stay present across the full parental leave journey, and treat every interaction as a chance to build or break trust.
Research shows that the quality of the relationship with a direct manager at the point of disclosure is one of the strongest predictors of whether a woman returns from parental leave at all. CONNECT is the foundation. Without it, nothing else in this framework works.
✓ Would expect to see
Reacts to a pregnancy disclosure with warmth — before logistics
Schedules a structured planning conversation within two weeks of disclosure
Agrees a communication plan before the employee goes on parental leave
Proactively tells them about anything that affects their role while on parental leave
Holds a pre-return conversation at least four weeks before they come back from parental leave
Has an honest career conversation before parental leave starts
Includes returning parents in forward conversations and succession planning from day one back
✗ Would not expect to see
Waits for the employee to make contact during parental leave and reads silence as contentment
Treats parental leave as an absence to manage, not a transition to support
Tells them about major role changes after the fact — or not at all
Confuses a handover conversation with a support conversation
Assumes HR or someone else is across the transition without checking
C — Self-reflection questions
When did I last initiate a conversation — not respond to one — with a pregnant or returning team member?
Do I know what every person currently on parental leave in my team actually needs from me right now?
Would someone in my team tell me the truth about how they're feeling — or tell me what they think I want to hear?
Am I the kind of manager someone would feel safe disclosing a pregnancy to on day one?
My honest answer
USE THE PLAYBOOK:Pregnancy Disclosure Conversation Guide · Leave Communication Plan Template · Structured Check-In Reference Card
A
Pillar Two · Most active: Phases 02, 03, 06
Address Assumptions
Interrupt bias before it shapes a career.
A leader who ADDRESSes Assumptions catches the decisions they didn't know they were making — and changes them. They pause before talent calls, consult before changing role scope, and create an environment where others feel safe to raise concerns too.
Bias in construction isn't always intentional. It lives in decisions made at speed: who gets the stretch project, who's 'not ready yet', who was quietly passed over while on parental leave. You don't have to be discriminatory to make a biased decision. You just have to be busy.
✓ Would expect to see
Knows what is legally prohibited — removing someone from a project without their request, excluding them from pay reviews, changing role scope without documented reason
Flags team members on parental leave to HR for inclusion in performance, pay and bonus cycles
Keeps employees on leadership-track projects when they disclose — unless they choose otherwise
Pauses before any talent decision and asks: would I make this same call if they hadn't taken parental leave?
Puts forward team members within two years of returning from parental leave and ready for more
Speaks up in talent and succession discussions when assumptions are being made based on parental status
✗ Would not expect to see
Assumes someone on parental leave is 'out of the running' for stretch opportunities
Makes role changes during pregnancy without consulting the employee first
Treats flexibility as a favour they're lucky to receive, not an entitlement they can rely on
Uses parental leave as justification for a lower performance rating
Accepts 'not quite ready' or 'the timing isn't right' without examining whether parental leave influenced the assessment
A — Self-reflection questions
Have I made a talent decision in the past six months that I didn't pause to examine for bias?
Do I know which people in my team are within two years of returning from parental leave?
If I look at who got promoted, who got the stretch project, who got the pay increase — what does the data tell me?
What would it take for me to be convinced there's a bias problem in my team?
My honest answer
USE THE PLAYBOOK:Bias Interruption Decision Checklist · Performance & Pay Inclusion Tracker · Talent Review Bias Calibration Guide
R
Pillar Three · Most active: Phases 01, 04, 05
Redesign the Environment
Make the site work for the people actually on it.
A leader who REDESIGNs the Environment makes the physical site and the structure of roles actually work for people with caring responsibilities. A policy that says 'we support flexible work' means nothing on a site with no clean toilet, a uniform that doesn't fit, and a project schedule that didn't account for parental leave.
Under Australian WHS legislation, leaders carry a direct duty of care. This pillar is both the right thing and the legal thing.
✓ Would expect to see
Initiates a WHS risk conversation within two weeks of disclosure — reviews physical demands, documents what will be monitored
Has personally checked that clean, private, lockable toilets and appropriate amenities are accessible on site
Arranges a private, hygienic space for breastfeeding or expressing before the employee's first day back
Makes sure PPE and workwear actually fits — during pregnancy and postnatally
Builds the return-to-work plan around physical recovery and fatigue, not just hours and duties
Builds parental leave coverage into the project plan before it starts
Has actually redesigned at least one role for part-time or flexible delivery
✗ Would not expect to see
Waits for a formal complaint before addressing site amenity issues
Assumes the employee will raise any WHS concerns themselves
Treats the WHS risk assessment as a one-off form rather than an ongoing responsibility
Signs off return-to-work plans without checking whether physical reintegration has been addressed
Accepts 'that's just how construction works' as an answer to inflexible rosters or unsustainable hours
R — Self-reflection questions
If someone in my team needed to work part-time starting next month, could I actually make it work on this project?
Have I personally checked the physical amenities available to people on my site in the last six months?
Is parental leave coverage built into how I plan projects — or does the team absorb it?
What would I need to change about how this work is structured to make it sustainable for someone with caring responsibilities?
My honest answer
USE THE PLAYBOOK:Pregnancy WHS Risk Assessment Tool · Site Amenity Audit Checklist · Return-to-Work Fatigue & Reintegration Planner
E
Pillar Four · Most active: Phases 05, 06
Elevate
Invest in their career. Return is the beginning, not the catch-up.
A leader who ELEVATEs doesn't just support parents through parental leave — they actively invest in career progression on return. They know the difference between mentoring (giving advice) and sponsorship (using influence) — and they know which one is needed.
Retention without progression is just a longer exit. The 12 months after returning from parental leave is the highest-risk window for a parent's career — not because of a crisis, but because nothing is happening.
✓ Would expect to see
Builds a return-to-work plan that connects duties to career goals — not just a task list or hours arrangement
Flags the returning employee to the relevant people for the next promotion and pay review cycle — no informal waiting period
Revisits career goals and progression pathways within six months of return — initiates it, doesn't wait
Actively sponsors returning parents for at least 12 months — puts their name forward and uses influence on their behalf
Raises phased return as an option before the employee has to ask for it
Holds themselves accountable for where people end up within two years of returning
✗ Would not expect to see
Treats return from parental leave as a logistics exercise rather than a career moment
Waits for the employee to drive the career conversation rather than initiating it
Assumes they'll need time to 'get back up to speed' before being considered for stretch opportunities
Confuses mentoring (giving advice) with sponsorship (using influence on their behalf) — and stops at mentoring
Measures retention as success when people stay — without checking whether they're advancing
E — Self-reflection questions
Who in my team has returned from parental leave in the past two years, and what is their career trajectory right now?
What active step have I taken in the last 90 days to advance a returning parent's career — not just support them?
Am I their mentor (giving advice) or their sponsor (using my influence on their behalf)? Which do they need more?
Could I point to a consistent practice that produces progression for returning parents in my team — or is every good outcome an exception?
My honest answer
USE THE PLAYBOOK:Career-Linked Return Plan Template · 12-Month Sponsorship Roadmap · Maternal Retention Scorecard
Your commitment — The CARE Framework
Which pillar needs most work in my practice right now — and what will I do first?
Six phases. One continuous journey. This is what leadership looks like in practice.
The Arc begins at disclosure, the moment the manager enters the picture. From that point, every parent's journey follows a predictable sequence. So does the leadership failure that drives her out.
Most leadership frameworks stop at return. This one doesn't — because the data doesn't. The 12 to 24 month window is when the majority of maternal exits occur, not in the weeks after coming back from parental leave, but quietly, in the second year, when support has wound down and careers have stalled.
At each phase, the Arc tells you which CARE pillar is most critical, what the specific leadership risk is, what to do, what not to do, and what it costs to get it wrong.
The six phases — click any phase to expand
01
Week 0–2 · PRIMARY PILLAR: CONNECT
Disclosure
Trust is built or destroyed in this conversation. There is no neutral.
▼
The truth about this phase
Most managers underreact to protect themselves from saying the wrong thing. She reads that as indifference. Some overreact — immediately jumping to logistics, handover, backfill — and she reads that as the organisation's priorities being made clear. What she needs in this moment is not a plan. It is a person.
✓ What to do
Lead with warmth. Congratulate her before you ask anything practical.
Schedule a planning meeting within two weeks — don't wing it.
Ask what she needs right now, not what you assume she needs.
Clarify any immediate WHS considerations — today, not later.
Explicitly acknowledge this is a significant life transition, not just an admin event.
Agree when your next conversation will be before she leaves the room.
✗ What not to do
Launch into parental leave dates, handover plans or backfill before you've checked in on her.
Say 'let me know if you need anything' and leave it at that.
Tell other team members before she's ready.
Assume she knows her entitlements — most don't.
⚠ If you get this wrong
Psychological withdrawal begins here. She stops telling you what she actually needs. By the time the problems surface, they're structural — and expensive to reverse.
✓ If you get this right
She enters the Parental Leave Period trusting you. That trust is the single most powerful retention factor you have — and it costs nothing to build.
02
Months before · PRIMARY PILLARS: CONNECT + ADDRESS
Pre-Parental Leave
Career sidelining happens quietly, with good intentions.
▼
The truth about this phase
Nobody decides to disadvantage her. The stretch project gets quietly reassigned because it feels kinder. The promotion conversation gets deferred because the timing seems awkward. Decision by decision, with the best of intentions, her career trajectory shifts — and she notices every single one.
✓ What to do
Have an explicit conversation about her career trajectory before she goes — not after she returns.
Confirm she will remain in the next performance and promotion cycle.
Document her communication preferences during parental leave.
Nominate a senior point of contact — someone with real influence, not just goodwill.
Challenge any assumption that she should step back from leadership-track work because she's pregnant.
✗ What not to do
Reassign her to lower-visibility work to 'reduce her stress' — without asking her.
Defer her performance review or exclude her from a pay cycle because parental leave is coming.
Assume she wants less contact during parental leave.
Treat handover as the primary goal of pre-leave conversations.
⚠ If you get this wrong
She goes on parental leave already behind. Sidelining during pregnancy is one of the strongest predictors of post-return attrition — the damage is done before she's even gone.
✓ If you get this right
She goes on parental leave knowing her career is protected. That changes everything about how she comes back — and whether she comes back at all.
03
While away · PRIMARY PILLARS: CONNECT + ADDRESS
Parental Leave Period
Invisibility becomes structural. Out of sight, out of the succession plan.
▼
The truth about this phase
Organisations don't intend to forget women on parental leave. They just do. Rosters are built, promotions are decided, teams are restructured — and she finds out on her first day back. The silence that feels neutral to the organisation feels like abandonment to her.
✓ What to do
Follow the communication plan she agreed to — don't improvise.
Proactively tell her about anything that affects her role: restructures, pay cycles, team changes, opportunities.
Include her in performance and pay review cycles, even if she won't be back to act on them immediately.
Use keeping-in-touch days for genuine connection or skills continuity — not to cover operational gaps.
Brief your own manager on her status and career goals so she is not invisible upwards.
✗ What not to do
Wait for her to make contact and interpret silence as contentment.
Use keeping-in-touch days to manage workload pressure.
Allow major decisions about her role, pay or team to be made without informing her.
Assume that because she's not complaining, everything is fine.
⚠ If you get this wrong
She returns to find her role changed, her relationships stale, and her confidence already eroded — before she's walked through the door.
✓ If you get this right
She returns informed, connected and already thinking about what she wants to do next. The return conversation effectively starts six months early.
04
4–6 weeks out · PRIMARY PILLARS: CONNECT + REDESIGN
Pre-Return
Return becomes a logistics exercise. The role is waiting. She is not.
▼
The truth about this phase
Most return-to-work conversations focus on start date, hours and duties. Almost none address physical recovery, confidence, or what she actually needs to succeed in the first 90 days. The role hasn't changed. She has. The plan needs to account for the person who's coming back from parental leave, not the person who left.
✓ What to do
Hold a structured pre-return conversation four to six weeks out — not the week before.
Ask how she's feeling about coming back from parental leave, not just what hours she wants to work.
Review the physical demands of her role and plan gradual reintegration.
Plan her first week deliberately: who she'll reconnect with, what she'll work on, what she won't be expected to carry yet.
Discuss flexibility — hours, location, compressed weeks — as a practical conversation, not a request she has to justify.
✗ What not to do
Send a 'see you Monday' message as the only pre-return communication.
Expect her to return to full capacity in week one.
Treat the return-to-work plan as a form to complete rather than a conversation to have.
Leave physical amenity or WHS considerations unaddressed until she raises them.
⚠ If you get this wrong
Burnout risk peaks in the first 90 days post-return. Most of it is entirely preventable with planning that takes 60 minutes.
✓ If you get this right
She returns with a plan, not just a date. The first three months become a period of building momentum, not surviving.
05
0–3 months back · PRIMARY PILLARS: REDESIGN + ELEVATE
Return
Confidence dip meets stalled visibility. This is when most women quietly decide to exit the industry.
▼
The truth about this phase
She is doing two full-time jobs. Her cognitive load is higher than it has ever been. She looks capable — because she is. She will not tell you she's struggling unless you ask directly. Meanwhile, if she's not visible on the right projects, in the right rooms, with the right people, her career is quietly stalling while she's busy just staying afloat.
✓ What to do
Phase her workload deliberately in weeks one to four — she should not be at full capacity on day one.
Have an explicit check-in at three months: how is this actually going.
Offer skills refresh, re-onboarding or access to training, especially if systems or teams have changed.
Connect her to visible, high-value work within the first 90 days — invisible work compounds invisibility.
Monitor her hours — returning mothers often overwork to prove themselves.
Actively introduce her to clients, projects and senior stakeholders as someone who is progressing.
✗ What not to do
Assume she's fine because she says she's fine.
Wait for her to raise concerns about workload, burnout or career direction.
Fill her calendar to demonstrate she hasn't missed anything.
Allow flexibility stigma to creep in — late starts commented on, early finishes noted.
⚠ If you get this wrong
Silent attrition. She performs adequately, tells no one she's struggling, and is gone within 12 months. Her exit survey says 'personal reasons.' Nobody connects her departure to what happened — or didn't happen — in these first three months.
✓ If you get this right
She gets through the first 90 days with her confidence intact and her career trajectory visible. Retention from this point increases sharply — but only if Phase 06 follows.
06
3–24 months post-return · PRIMARY PILLAR: ELEVATE
Stabilisation
Retention without progression. She stays — but she's going nowhere. And she knows it.
▼
The truth about this phase
This is the phase most organisations forget entirely — and most leadership frameworks stop before they reach it. She returned. She's managing. The support that existed during the transition has quietly wound down. But the 12 to 24 month window is when the majority of maternal exits actually occur. Not because of a crisis. Because nothing is happening for her career, and she has quietly done the calculation.
✓ What to do
Include her in the next promotion cycle — no qualifying wait period, no 'let's see how she settles in.'
Actively advocate for her in rooms she is not in — sponsorship, not just mentoring.
Review her pay: parental leave creates pay gaps, and closing them is both legal and ethical practice.
Track her progression alongside the rest of the team — if she's not advancing, name it and address it.
Check in on career goals at 12 months and again at 18 months.
Give her access to networks and development that match her actual ambition, not your assumptions about it.
✗ What not to do
Reduce support because she seems to be 'back to normal.'
Conflate staying with thriving — they are not the same thing.
Allow her flexibility arrangement to quietly erode under project pressure.
Mentor her without sponsoring her — advice without advocacy does not move careers.
Measure your own success by the fact that she's still there, without asking where she's headed.
⚠ If you get this wrong
She exits at 18 months. Her replacement costs upward of $200,000. Her institutional knowledge, her client relationships, her institutional memory — gone. And no one connects her departure to what didn't happen in the two years after she came back.
✓ If you get this right
She is promoted. Her career trajectory is visible to every other woman on your site who is watching — and they are always watching — to see what happens to mothers here. Retention compounds. Culture shifts.
Arc at a glance — quick reference
Phase
Pillar
The risk
If you fail
If you lead
01 Disclosure Week 0–2
C
Trust is built or destroyed. There is no neutral.
Psychological withdrawal begins. Problems become structural.
She enters the journey trusting you. Most powerful retention factor you have.
02 Pre-Leave Months before
C+A
Career sidelining with good intentions.
She leaves already behind. Damage done before she goes.
She leaves knowing her career is protected. Changes how she comes back.
03 Parental Leave Period While away
C+A
Invisibility becomes structural.
She returns to a changed landscape and eroded confidence.
She returns informed, connected, ready. Return conversation starts six months early.
04 Pre-Return 4–6 weeks out
C+R
Return is a logistics exercise.
Burnout risk peaks. Preventable with 60 minutes of planning.
She returns with a plan. First 90 days: momentum, not survival.
The first conversation after disclosure sets the tone for everything that follows — and you don't get a second chance at it.
⏱
This takes
30 minutes and a structured conversation
★
You build
A team member who trusts you enough to tell you what she actually needs — now and throughout her parental leave
KNOW
Read this before you walk in
👤
Respond to the person before you respond to the situation. She is reading your reaction before you say a word.
⚖️
From the moment of disclosure, you carry a legal WHS duty of care. This conversation starts that process.
📅
What you do in the next two weeks sets the standard for the next 12 months.
DO
Four steps, in order
Work through these in sequence. Do not reorder.
1
Open with warmth — before anything else
Acknowledge the news as a person, not a logistics challenge. Don't move to plans until she's been heard.
SAY THIS
"Thanks for telling me. Before we get into anything practical — how are you feeling about it all?"
Then stop. Listen. Don't fill the silence.
2
Risk scan — your WHS responsibility starts now
Ask directly about the physical demands of her role. Document what she tells you.
SAY THIS
"Walk me through a typical day. Are there parts of the work you're already thinking about as the pregnancy progresses?"
Schedule a formal WHS review within two weeks. Don't wait for her to raise it — that's your job, not hers.
3
Plan the next 90 days together
Ask two questions. Write down the answers. Her career didn't pause when she told you.
ASK BOTH
"What do you need from me in the coming months to make this work well?"
"Are there any projects or opportunities you want to make sure still happen before your parental leave?"
4
Bias check — before you close
Before you end the conversation, pause and ask yourself:
CHECK YOURSELF
"Am I treating this the same way I would any other significant life event for someone on my team?"
Close with something specific — not a vague "we'll sort it out."
"I'll send a calendar invite for our planning session this week. I want us to get ahead of this properly."
Steps completed: 0 of 4
COMMIT
One action. Before her next working day.
The one thing I will do before this employee's next working day:
My commitment by
TOOL 02 OF 12
C · Connect with Courage
Phase 02 — parental leave planning
Leave Communication Plan
Complete this template together before parental leave begins. Both parties keep a copy. File with HR.
⏱
This takes
30 minutes and an honest conversation before parental leave begins
★
You build
A team member who comes back updated, connected, and career-ready — and a relationship built on trust
KNOW
Why this conversation matters
📊
Women who stay connected to their team during parental leave return more engaged and are significantly less likely to resign.
🤝
A simple, agreed plan removes ambiguity for both of you — so she stays connected on her terms, not by chance.
⚖️
Legal obligation: If decisions significantly affect her role, pay, or location while on parental leave — you must consult her before deciding. Leave does not pause this.
This plan is hers to lead. Your job is to honour it.
DO
Leave Communication Plan Template
Complete together. Both sign. File with HR.
1How she wants to stay in touch during parental leave
Contact frequency
Preferred channel(s)
Topics she WANTS updates on
Topics she does NOT want to be contacted about
2Scheduled check-in points — manager-initiated
These four check-ins happen regardless of frequency preferences above. The mid-parental-leave check-in is optional — only make contact if she selects yes below.
Check-in
When
Focus
Scheduled date
Done
before parental leave begins
2–4 weeks out
Confirm handover, preferred contact details, and what she wants to know about
Mid-parental-leave optional
Approx. 6 months
Brief and social only — not a return-to-work conversation. Only if she selects yes below.
Before return
4–6 weeks out
Return date, any role changes, flexible work needs, and a re-induction plan
Post-return
3–6 months after
Career conversation: development goals, upcoming opportunities, and workload check
Mid-parental-leave check-in — her choice only
Would she like her manager to reach out around the midpoint of her parental leave?
3Keeping in Touch (KIT) days — good to think about now
What are KIT days? Keeping in Touch days allow an employee to attend work for up to 10 days during parental leave without ending the Parental Leave Period or losing parental leave pay. KIT days are voluntary — both parties must agree. They are paid at the employee's normal rate and are entirely optional.
Are KIT days of interest? No decision needed now — this is just early thinking.
If yes — what type of activity would be useful?
4Career conversations — opportunities to keep her in mind for
Record any roles, projects, secondments, or training she wants flagged. Review at every check-in.
Opportunity / project to keep in mind
Likely timeframe
Action / notes
COMMIT
We both agree to this plan
This plan can be updated at any time — just let each other know. The goal is clarity, not a contract.
Every conversation you initiate is a trust deposit. Every silence is a withdrawal.
⏱
This takes
4 check-in conversations · 15 minutes each · across a 12–24 month journey
★
You build
A team member who knows you've got her back — she stays informed, connected, and returns with confidence without carrying the mental load of chasing you
KNOW
Read this before you start
📞
Most managers intend to stay connected during parental leave. Most don't. Not because they don't care — because there's no system and no language. The four check-ins below are the minimum standard.
🚦
Construction managers read risk signals all day. Green, amber, red — you already know how to scan an environment and respond to what you find. The Green Light applies that same discipline to the most important professional relationship you'll manage through this journey.
🎯
You are not being asked to be a counsellor. You are being asked to notice, name, and respond. That's leadership — and it's exactly what you already do on site.
The Green Light — read the signal, respond to what's actually there
🟢 GREEN Conversation is open
What it looks like: She answers fully and asks her own questions. She mentions specific things she's thinking about — her role, her team, her return. You leave the conversation with real information, not just reassurance.
Your job: Maintain the standard. Don't coast because it feels easy.
Say this:"Good to hear. Before we finish — is there anything I haven't asked that you'd want me to know?"
🟡 AMBER Polite but shallow
What it looks like: The conversation is friendly but doesn't go very deep. Answers are brief. Topics move on quickly. You finish the call with a general sense she's okay — but not much more than that.
Your job: Keep the conversation going a little longer than feels necessary. The real answer sometimes comes after the first one.
Say this:"I've got a bit more time if you do — what's one thing I or the team could do that would make the next month easier?"
🔴 RED Doesn't feel right
What it looks like: She may be quieter than usual, seems concerned, or raises something you weren't expecting. She may not say it directly — trust what you're observing. You don't need to be certain. If it feels off, treat it as red.
Your job: Stop the agenda. You don't need to fix it — you need to acknowledge it and make sure she knows support exists. She doesn't have to tell you anything she's not ready to share.
Say this:"I can see something might be on your mind — and you don't have to get into it with me if you'd rather not. But I want you to know support is available. Our EAP is completely confidential, and HR can also help. I'm happy to find the right person for you if that would help."
DO
Four check-in moments, in order
Each check-in has an opening question, a focus, and one question not to ask. Then apply the Green Light.
1
The Handover Check-In · Phase 02 · 4–6 weeks before parental leave begins
Do not leave this to the last week. Her career did not pause when she told you.
OPEN WITH
"Before we get into the handover — what's the one thing about going on parental leave that's taking up the most headspace for you right now?"
FOCUS ON
Confirm handover arrangements, her preferred contact details during parental leave, and what she wants to be kept across while she's out. Reference Tool 02 — Leave Communication Plan — if not yet completed.
NOT TO ASK
"When are you planning to come back from parental leave, exactly?"
2
The Early Signal · Phase 03 · Weeks 4–8 of leave
Optional — but high-impact. Brief and low-pressure. Only make contact if she selected yes in Tool 02.
OPEN WITH
"No agenda on my end — I just wanted to make sure you're hearing from me, not the other way around. What's been the biggest surprise about leave so far?"
FOCUS ON
One genuine team update she'd care about. Then stop. This is not a return-to-work conversation — it is a trust deposit. Her response will tell you more than her words.
NOT TO ASK
"Have you thought about what you'll do when you come back from parental leave yet?"
3
The Return Conversation · Phase 03 → 04 · 4–6 weeks before return
This is the most important check-in. Don't delegate it. Don't rush it.
OPEN WITH
"Before we get into dates and logistics — what's your honest read on coming back from parental leave? What are you looking forward to, and what's giving you pause?"
FOCUS ON
What's changed that directly affects her — role, team, reporting line, projects. She hears it from you, not through the grapevine. Discuss return date, flexible work needs, and what a good first month looks like to her.
NOT TO ASK
"So are you planning to go full-time straight away?"
Most managers stop here. Don't. This is when the maternal wall is most active.
OPEN WITH
"You've been back three months — if you were rating how well we've set you up since your return, what would you score us and why?"
FOCUS ON
Her development, not just her workload. What's next for her career — and are you actively making it happen? Run the Bias Compass (Tool 04) before any talent decision at this stage.
NOT TO ASK
"Are you finding it hard to be away from the baby?"
Check-ins completed: 0 of 4
⚖ Legal context
Adverse action protections, role change obligations, and flexible work entitlements apply across this entire journey under the Fair Work Act 2009 and Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth). If anything changes that affects her role, pay, or career while she is on leave — tell her directly and promptly. Do not assume HR has it covered. Consult your organisation's parental leave policy and HR team for your specific obligations at each stage.
COMMIT
One action. Before her next check-in.
The one thing I will do before her next check-in:
My commitment by
TOOL 04 OF 12
A · Address Assumptions
Phases 2, 3 & 6
The Bias Compass
Use this before any talent decision involving a team member who is pregnant, on parental leave, or within 24 months of return.
⏱
This takes
Under 5 minutes and four compass questions
★
You build
A documented decision trail that protects careers and your organisation legally
KNOW
Read this before you start
🧠
Bias in construction is rarely intentional — it happens in the gap between a rushed decision and its examination.
⚖️
Your legal obligations under the Sex Discrimination Act and Fair Work Act do not pause when a woman takes parental leave — and neither does her career.
🛡️
You cannot remove someone from projects without documented reason, exclude them from pay cycles, or change scope without consultation. Five minutes now prevents irreversible damage.
Apply this tool to: project assignments · pay reviews · role changes · performance ratings · stretch opportunities
DO
Run The Bias Compass — ask yourself all four questions
Work through each quadrant before you finalise the decision. If any question gives you pause — stop and consult HR.
N
NORTH · News Headline
The reputation test
"Would you be comfortable if this decision appeared on the front page of a construction industry publication tomorrow?"
If you hesitated — the decision needs more scrutiny.
E
EAST · Evidence
The data test
"Is this decision based on her actual performance record — or on assumptions about her availability, ambition, or capacity since returning?"
Assumptions are not evidence. If you can't point to data, you're not ready to decide.
S
SOUTH · Swap
The gender double-standard test
"If this team member were male and had taken six months off for a serious illness, would you be making the exact same call?"
A different answer for a different person is evidence of bias, not business need.
W
WEST · Witness
The accountability test
"Would you make this same decision if she were sitting in the room with you right now?"
If the answer changes when she's visible, the reasoning hasn't been tested.
⊕
Answer all four questions
DOCUMENT
If proceeding — answer all three before you act
01
What is the specific business reason for this decision?
02
Have I consulted the team member or HR where required?
03
Would this same reasoning apply to any team member in this role?
COMMIT
One action. Before this decision is finalised.
Every completed checklist is both a career protection record for your team member and a legal protection record for you.
My commitment by
TOOL 08 OF 12
R · Redesign the Environment
Phases 01 & 04 — Disclosure & Return Preparation
Site Amenity Audit Checklist
A policy that says 'we support flexibility' means nothing on a site with no clean toilet.
⏱
This takes
20 minutes on site · completed by the manager · done at disclosure and before return
★
You build
A site that is physically ready for her before she arrives — with a clear record that checks were completed and gaps actioned
KNOW
Read this before you start
🚧
Amenity failures are one of the most commonly cited reasons women leave construction during or after pregnancy. Most managers don't know — because no one tells them. They tell the union, they tell their friends, and they don't come back.
📋
This is a physical walkthrough. You do it on site, in person. It takes 20 minutes. It is not a facilities issue you hand to someone else — your name is on this tool because it is your leadership responsibility.
⚖️
Minimum standard is your legal obligation under WHS legislation. The CARE standard is not aspirational — it is what this toolkit expects of every CARE leader, and what any decent site should already be doing.
Record any gap and the action you will take. No gap is too small to note.
DO
Complete the audit — all five sections
Walk the site. Assess each item. Record any gap and the action required.
🚿 Section 1 — Toilets & Amenities
Checklist item
Minimum standard (WHS)
The CARE standard
Pass / Fail
Gap + action required
Accessible, clean, lockable toilet within reasonable proximity of the work area
WHS Act 2011 s.19; Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities (2013). Reg 42 — adequate, suitable toilets must be provided.
Toilet within 200m of primary work area. Dedicated women's facility where crew numbers allow. No shared facility without separate lockable stalls.
Sanitary bins present and serviced in all women's toilet facilities
SWA Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment (2013) — sanitary disposal facilities required where women are employed.
Bins emptied fortnightly minimum. Sanitary products available on site. No employee should have to request these from a supervisor.
Toilet is clean, stocked with soap, paper towel or hand dryer, and toilet paper at all times
WHS Reg 2011 Reg 41–42. Facilities must be maintained in a clean and hygienic condition.
Cleaning schedule posted and signed. Frequency matched to site crew size — minimum daily on active sites. Nausea-related needs make cleanliness a health issue, not a preference.
Pregnant employee can access toilet with reasonable frequency without managerial approval
Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) s.7 — restricting toilet access for a pregnant employee may constitute unlawful discrimination.
Brief the team that toilet access is unrestricted. No sign-out required. No comment on frequency. This is a health need, not a privilege.
🤱 Section 2 — Breastfeeding & Expressing
Checklist item
Minimum standard (WHS)
The CARE standard
Pass / Fail
Gap + action required
A private, clean, non-toilet space is available for expressing or breastfeeding
Fair Work Act 2009 s.65; SDA 1984 s.7AA — discrimination on the ground of breastfeeding. WHS Act 2011 s.19.
A lockable room (not a toilet, not a storeroom) with a chair, power point, small table or bench, and fridge or esky for milk storage nearby. Room allocated before her first day back.
Milk can be stored safely on site (dedicated fridge or secured esky)
WHS Act 2011 s.19 — duty to provide safe workplace. Failure to enable safe milk storage affects employee health.
Dedicated shelf or drawer in fridge clearly labelled. If no fixed fridge on site, a quality insulated esky with ice packs provided. Privacy maintained — storage not visible to general staff.
Expressing breaks can be accommodated within the work schedule without formal leave
Fair Work Act 2009 s.65(1A)(aa); SDA 1984 s.7AA. Restricting or penalising expressing breaks may constitute indirect discrimination.
Schedule agreed in return-to-work plan. Breaks treated like any health-related break. Team briefed appropriately so coverage is seamless.
🦺 Section 3 — PPE & Workwear
Checklist item
Minimum standard (WHS)
The CARE standard
Pass / Fail
Gap + action required
PPE is available in sizes that fit a pregnant employee (hi-vis vest, hard hat, safety footwear)
WHS Act 2011 s.19; WHS Reg 2011 Part 3.2 Div 5 (reg 44) — PPE must be suitable for the worker using it. Ill-fitting PPE is a WHS breach.
Maternity hi-vis vests on site before she needs them — not ordered after she asks. Safety footwear sourced in women's sizing. PPE reviewed each trimester as body changes.
Workwear (uniforms, shirts, pants) is available in women's cuts and maternity sizing
SDA 1984 s.5 (sex discrimination) and s.7 (pregnancy discrimination). Men's-only workwear where women are employed may constitute indirect discrimination.
Women's workwear stocked as standard — not a special order. Maternity options discussed proactively at disclosure. Budget allocated for necessary replacements across trimesters.
A risk assessment for the pregnant employee's specific role and hazard exposure has been completed or scheduled
WHS Act 2011 s.19 — duty to manage risk. SWA Pregnancy at Work guidance (2020). Construction hazards (manual handling, noise, chemicals, heat) must be assessed against pregnancy.
Risk assessment completed within 2 weeks of disclosure. Reviewed each trimester. Done in consultation with the employee and her GP or midwife if needed. Documented and filed with HR.
😴 Section 4 — Rest, Fatigue & First Aid
Checklist item
Minimum standard (WHS)
The CARE standard
Pass / Fail
Gap + action required
Suitable seating or a rest area is accessible for a pregnant employee who needs to sit or rest during the workday
WHS Reg 2011 Reg 41 — adequate facilities must be provided. WHS Act 2011 s.19(3) — duty to provide a safe work environment.
Rest area within reasonable proximity of work area. Seating with back support. Access is not dependent on manager permission — it is a standing arrangement agreed at disclosure.
Drinking water is accessible throughout the workday without requiring the employee to leave the work zone
WHS Reg 2011 Reg 41. Adequate drinking water must be supplied. Pregnant employees have clinically elevated hydration needs.
Cooled, potable water within a short walk of primary work area. Do not rely on her carrying her own supply on a site in summer heat. Heat stress in pregnancy requires proactive access.
First aid kit is stocked with pregnancy-relevant items and first aiders are aware of pregnancy on site
WHS Reg 2011 Part 3.3 — first aid provisions must be suitable for the work and the workers. First aider must be informed of relevant medical conditions.
First aider briefed (with employee consent) on pregnancy status, due date, and relevant medical information. Emergency response plan updated. GP or midwife contact details on file.
👥 Section 5 — Site Culture & Climate
Checklist item
Minimum standard (WHS)
The CARE standard
Pass / Fail
Gap + action required
No inappropriate comments, jokes, or questions about pregnancy, leave, or return have been observed on this site in the past month
SDA 1984 s.7 (pregnancy discrimination), s.7A (family responsibilities), s.28B (harassment in employment), s.28M (hostile workplace environment — in force Dec 2022).
Active monitoring by the manager — not bystander waiting. Any comment addressed directly and immediately. Team briefed on professional standards before her return. Silence is not neutral.
Team is aware that the expressing space is private and access will be respected without comment
SDA 1984 s.7AA (breastfeeding discrimination) and s.28B (harassment in employment). Disclosure of breastfeeding status to colleagues without consent may constitute unlawful conduct.
Team briefed: "She has a scheduled break — same as a medical appointment." No further explanation required or requested. Room booking system or 'in use' sign in place.
🟢 Ready
All items pass. Site is prepared. Document and file.
🟡 Gaps identified
Some items fail. Complete all action items before her start date or return. Set a deadline.
🔴 Not ready
Multiple critical items fail. Escalate to HR and WHS immediately. Do not proceed without resolution.
⚖ Legal context
This checklist references obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth), WHS Regulation 2011 (regs 41, 42, 44 and Part 3.2), the Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities (Safe Work Australia), the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (ss.5, 7, 7A, 7AA, 28B, 28M), and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (s.65). State and territory WHS legislation contains equivalent provisions. Consult your WHS advisor, HR team, and relevant state regulator for obligations specific to your jurisdiction and site. This checklist does not constitute legal advice.
An individual leadership mirror — not an audit of your organisation's policies. Score yourself honestly. Return every six months.
About this assessment
Use this self-assessment alongside the CARE Leadership Framework — not instead of it. The Framework defines the capabilities and sets the standard. This tool asks one question: are you actually living it?
Score 1 for behaviours that are fully and consistently in place in your own practice. Score 0 for anything partial, inconsistent, or only in certain circumstances. Consistency is the standard.
Each pillar scores out of 12. Total score out of 48. Your score reflects your practice — not your organisation's policies.
0–16 · SUPPORT
Every leader starts somewhere. Your focus: the disclosure conversation, your WHS obligations, and staying genuinely in contact across the parental leave journey. Trust is built in every interaction.
17–32 · SUSTAIN
You have foundations in place. The work now is making this consistent regardless of who's asking, how busy the project is, or how straightforward the situation feels.
33–48 · SPONSOR
You're leading this well — not common in this industry. The opportunity now is the reach of what you're doing. Progression not just retention. Sponsorship not just support.
YOUR SCORE
0
/ 48
C
0/12
A
0/12
R
0/12
E
0/12
LEVEL
—
C
Connect with Courage
Build the relationship where truth can be told.
Pillar score0 / 12
▼
The difference you make: When you get this right, people tell you what they actually need — before it becomes a crisis. The quality of your relationship at the point of disclosure is one of the strongest predictors of whether someone returns from parental leave at all.
SUPPORT — What you're building: The trust that means a parent feels safe being honest with you at every stage.
When a team member discloses pregnancy to me, I react with warmth — before logistics — and I schedule a one-on-one planning conversation within two weeks. I lead it, not HR.
Before they go on parental leave, I have a real conversation about how they'd like to stay in touch — frequency, channel, what they want to hear about. Then I respect whatever they decide.
If anything changes that affects their role, pay or career while they're on parental leave, I tell them directly and promptly — I don't assume someone else will pass it on.
I initiate the return conversation at least four weeks before they come back from parental leave — covering duties, hours, team changes and how they're feeling. Not a 'see you Monday' email.
SUSTAIN — What you're building: A team where parents know consistent support is the standard, not the exception.
I connect at four points: before parental leave, during if they want it, before return, and 3–6 months after they're back. I initiate each one — I don't wait to be asked.
I've sought out what I need to have these conversations well — I know what to say, what not to say, and where my legal obligations sit at each stage. I didn't wait to be sent to training.
If they want to stay in contact during parental leave, I make it easy and frame it around what interests them — not what I need from them. I never make them feel that contact is conditional on their availability.
Before they go on parental leave, I have an honest conversation about career — what's coming up, what opportunities I'll keep them in mind for, and how the timing looks from their perspective.
SPONSOR — What you're building: A culture where parenthood is visible, valued and never a ceiling to a career.
I take personal responsibility for their transition — I don't assume HR or anyone else is across it. I nominate myself or a senior colleague as their named point of contact before parental leave starts.
I understand that how I lead through parental leave is a reflection of my leadership — and I'm comfortable being held to account for retention outcomes in my team.
I keep a record of how I've handled disclosures and return-to-work conversations in my team. I can tell you what I'd do differently — and I act on it.
From day one back, I include returning team members in forward conversations. Their return isn't a reset — and their career didn't pause while they were away.
A
Address Assumptions
Interrupt bias before it shapes a career.
Pillar score0 / 12
▼
The difference you make: When you get this right, parental leave doesn't become an invisible turning point in someone's career. The pause before the call is what separates good leaders from exposed ones.
SUPPORT
I know what I legally cannot do — remove someone from a project without their request, exclude them from pay or performance reviews while on parental leave, or change their role scope without a documented reason.
When performance, pay or bonus cycles happen while someone is on parental leave, I flag them to HR for inclusion. I don't assume they're automatically captured — and I follow up to confirm.
If someone is on a leadership-track project when they disclose, they stay on it unless they choose otherwise. That decision belongs to them, not me.
I know what flexible work options exist and I share them proactively — before someone has to ask, not after they've had to push.
SUSTAIN
Before any talent decision involving someone on or returning from parental leave, I pause and ask: would I make this same call if they hadn't taken parental leave? I make that question a habit.
If I'm considering changing role scope during pregnancy or after return, I consult them first, document the business reason, and apply the same standard I'd use for anyone else.
When someone requests flexible work, I treat it as a practical problem to solve — not a favour to consider. I don't reach for 'it won't work on site' before I've genuinely tried.
If someone in my team is within two years of returning from parental leave and ready for more, I put their name forward. I don't hold back because of the timing of their return.
SPONSOR
I notice patterns in my team. If people are leaving or stalling after parental leave, I ask why — and I look honestly at what my own leadership may be contributing.
I'm open about flexible arrangements I use myself — not performatively, just honestly. So others feel real permission, not just policy permission.
When talent or succession is being discussed, I speak up if I hear assumptions being made about someone's ambition or availability based on their parental status. I name what I'm seeing.
When someone in my team has been back from parental leave for 12 months, I ask HR whether their pay has been reviewed. I track the answer — and I follow it up if it hasn't happened.
R
Redesign the Environment
Make the site work for the people actually on it.
Pillar score0 / 12
▼
The difference you make: When you get this right, the physical environment and the structure of the work stop being reasons people leave the industry. You also fulfil your legal duty of care under WHS legislation, which is not optional.
SUPPORT
When someone discloses pregnancy, I initiate a WHS risk conversation within two weeks. We review the physical demands of their role, document what we'll monitor, and I revisit it as the pregnancy progresses.
If their role carries physical risk during pregnancy, I offer modified duties or a transfer proactively — not after they've had to push through something unsafe.
There are clean, private, lockable toilets accessible on this site. I have personally checked. I don't wait for someone to raise it as a problem.
If someone returns while breastfeeding or expressing, a private, hygienic space is ready before their first day back. I ask what they need and I make it happen.
SUSTAIN
I make sure PPE and workwear actually fits — during pregnancy and postnatally. If standard-issue gear doesn't work, I find out what does and get it ordered. Ill-fitting gear is a safety issue.
When we build the return-to-work plan together, I ask about physical recovery and fatigue — not just hours and duties. The first months back after having a baby are physically demanding.
When adjusted hours or a different arrangement are needed, I work out how to make it function on this site — 'frontline roles can't be flexible' is not an answer I accept from myself before I've tried.
Parental leave absences go into the project plan before they start. The team doesn't quietly absorb the load. I plan for it the way I plan for any other resource gap.
SPONSOR
I have actually redesigned at least one role in my team for part-time or flexible delivery — tested on a real project, not noted in a policy. I can describe what it took and what it produced.
I've genuinely explored job share in my team — thought through handover, continuity and accountability rather than dismissing it before I started. I can tell you what I found.
I protect the agreed hours of someone returning from parental leave. If the project pushes overtime, I make sure that pressure doesn't land on them without a real conversation first.
When someone goes on parental leave, I make the case for their role to be properly covered while they're away. I raise it, plan for it, and push back if the answer is 'the team will absorb it'.
E
Elevate
Invest in their career. Return is the beginning, not the catch-up.
Pillar score0 / 12
▼
The difference you make: When you get this right, parental leave becomes a career moment rather than a career gap. Retention without progression is just a longer exit.
SUPPORT
Their return-to-work plan connects duties to career goals — not just a task list or an hours arrangement. I ask where they want to be in one to two years and I build the plan toward that.
I give them a genuine re-onboarding — what's changed, what they've missed, time to reconnect with the team — before I expect them to be fully operational. Their return isn't day one on a new site.
When they return from parental leave, I flag them for the next promotion and pay review cycle. No informal waiting period — I don't apply a 'let's see how they settle in' filter I wouldn't use for anyone else.
Within six months of return, I have a dedicated career conversation with them. Not a performance review — a genuine, forward-looking conversation about where they want to go. I initiate it.
SUSTAIN
For at least 12 months after return, I actively sponsor them — using my influence on their behalf, putting their name forward, speaking up in rooms they're not in. Not just offering advice when they ask.
I raise phased return as an option when building the return-to-work plan — before they have to ask. I frame it as a smart transition strategy, not a concession. And if it needs sign-off, I do the work.
I notice whether people in my team stay after parental leave. If they're not staying, I take that seriously as something worth understanding — not a coincidence to move past.
When someone wants to participate in professional networks or development, I treat that time as legitimate — I plan around it where I can, and I don't let 'site's too busy' become the default reason it doesn't happen.
SPONSOR
I hold myself accountable for where people end up — not just the experience they have during the transition. Career trajectory within two years of returning from parental leave is a measure I apply to myself.
Within two years of someone returning, I'm actively looking for the right next opportunity for them. I don't wait for them to campaign for themselves — I track it.
I talk openly about how I lead through parental transitions — with my team, across the industry, with clients where it's relevant. Good practice becomes normal when it's visible.
I contribute honestly to any reporting on parental leave outcomes. The standard I hold for my team is the same one I hold for myself.
Your CARE Practitioner Score
C
Connect
0 / 12
A
Address
0 / 12
R
Redesign
0 / 12
E
Elevate
0 / 12
TOTAL
0/ 48
—
Three steps that move things forward
1
Name your growth area
Look at your lowest-scoring pillar. That's where the biggest opportunity sits. Pick one indicator, commit to changing your practice within 30 days, and tell someone you trust. Accountability makes it real.
2
Do one thing this week
Find an indicator you could act on right now. Do it. Momentum matters more than a perfect plan when you're building new habits.
3
Come back in six months
This is not a one-time exercise. Return at every major phase of a team member's parental leave journey — and formally reassess every six months. Progress, not a perfect score, is the point.
My lowest pillar and the one thing I will change within 30 days
Crib Shift CARE Aware Practitioner Certification
This self-assessment is part of the CARE Aware Practitioner program, an individual certification for construction leaders who commit to building the knowledge, behaviours and accountability to support parents through pregnancy, parental leave and return to work. To learn more about how you can become certified please email samantha@cribshift.com
