Survey shows how much women worry about returning to work from maternity leave

More than half of women on maternity leave feel anxious and nervous about returning to work, according to a survey from New Ireland Assurance.

The study has found three quarters are concerned about work/life balance and childcare arrangements.

A quarter of women surveyed say they had no support at all from their employer in getting back to work, while more than 80% say more flexible working arrangements would help.

Oonagh Kelly from New Ireland Assurance says that is a real problem.

She said: "The reasons for their anxiety really varied from the need for part-time arrangements and people looking for flexibility on their return to work.

"But also they are looking for better support from their employers, including how they ease into work and the support that they will have when they come back."

She also said there are some things employers can do to make life easier for women.

She said: "It could be something as simple or as straightforward as saying to employees 'if your child has a high temperature, if your child is sick, if you are struggling to get to work on a particular day we can be flexible in relation to that, we can accommodate you working from home, we can accommodate you on a laptop or other technologies, so that you are able to work in a way that suits you and the need of your family'.

"And we all benefit from that."

- Digital Desk