Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Marilou Ryder

Second Advisor

Barbara Bartells

Third Advisor

Tricia Kassab

Abstract

Purpose: This qualitative phenomenological study explored how professional women experience maternity leave and return-to-work, focusing on how managerial communication shapes perceptions of career, competence, belonging, and career progression. The study involved professional women who returned to the same organization full-time from 6 months to 3 years after maternity leave.Methodology: Fourteen professional women were recruited via snowball sampling and listservs. Data were collected through Zoom interviews. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and received interview questions in advance. The interview guide aligned with the study's three questions. After the interview, participants reviewed AI-generated transcript summaries for accuracy; and participants were given a 1-week correction window.

Findings: The findings were organized into 12 themes and five key findings. Participants described returning to work as an extended transition not a single day, involving physical recovery, emotional separation, childcare logistics, workload management, identity renegotiation, and concerns about competence and visibility. Managerial communication was central; supportive managers who asked questions, trusted, acknowledged workers as whole people, clarified expectations, and avoided assumptions helped participants feel valued. Conversely, silence, ambiguity, and logistics-only communication created uncertainty and self-doubt. Motherhood recalibrated ambition but did not diminish it, and participants stayed committed to meaningful work but now reconsidered their careers and the impact on workload, flexibility, and family balance. Organizational systems influenced experiences through benefits communication, return-to-work policies, and the practical use of these policies.

Conclusions: Returning to work after maternity leave requires structured support, transparent communication from managers, and organizational systems that recognize maternity leave as both a personal and an organizational matter. While competence was generally preserved, many women experienced internal doubts, and wanted managerial communication that conveyed trust, a sense of belonging, and value. Lastly, managers, supportive or not, were unable to fully compensate for ineffective organizational systems.

Recommendations: Organizations should develop formal return-to-work planning, train managers to ask rather than assume, assure employees of their value, include holistic communication, reduce leave administration burden, share responsibility of coverage planning, normalize flexible, remote, and hybrid work to improve retention, foster family-friendly cultures, create peer support, and treat maternity leave as a normal life experience not an inconvenience.

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