07-09-2025
I like to think that I am an expert when it comes to how organizations can best support working mothers. I’ve studied this directly, exploring how organizations can ensure that women have effective returns to work postpartum through acts of allyship, support and flexibility. I’ve also had experiences becoming a mother myself that have been transformative for my work.
As a mother of two girls — one born in March 2020 and one in February 2025 — I have had two very different postpartum chapters. The first was filled with substantial anxiety as the COVID-19 pandemic upended my support plans. While we had a small bubble of my parents and a few close friends that I was (and still am) very grateful for, I was left without the broader “village” that I had often heard about. There were no meal trains, no coffee dates with other tired moms. There were no quick runs to the store while babywearing, no getting to bring my baby to work to meet my colleagues. It was incredibly isolating and sparked in me a desire to understand how organizations can support women going through some of the best and hardest moments of their life — something that informed my postpartum depression work.
But the second — my most recent postpartum experience — has been full of rest and joy. They say that time heals, and I truly believe that describes what it has been like to bring our second daughter into the world. We have a strong village here in West Lafayette, and she’s even made her way to the Daniels School once in her tiny life (asleep, but still). Having this time has also made me think deeply on what it really means to support postpartum moms, based on the science of postpartum allyship that my colleagues and I have written about and my own journey. If you work with someone returning to work postpartum, here’s what you can do:
First, help women navigate the HR policies in your organization. There is nothing more stressful than sorting through pages of HR policy when you are feeling sick and exhausted during pregnancy, wondering if you’ll qualify for paid leave or not. As a supervisor or leader, being well-versed and ready to go to help working mothers versus taking a more reactive approach and waiting for questions to arise is crucial. It also is advantageous to start a network of knowledge surrounding leave policies, connecting expectant moms to others who have already gone through the system.
Second, try and be flexible. Remote and hybrid work arrangements can be great options for moms as they transition back to work and are not only navigating childcare, but other demands like breastfeeding and pumping breastmilk. I’d also encourage organizations to think about how flexible they can really be. For instance, can babies — or even young kids — come to work? While this may not be advantageous day-to-day, it may help moms (and dads!) when care falls through. It also can signal to employees that they can be their whole selves at work and not hide that they are parents.
Third, and finally, celebrate moms returning to work. Do not make them feel guilty for taking time away or ask how their “vacation” was from work. Celebrate that they’re back and you’ve missed their contributions. Ask for those baby pictures and acknowledge that they have had a transformative experience. Make them feel whole and give them grace as they adjust.
I’m grateful to have welcomed a new baby Boilermaker into the Purdue family and cannot wait to watch both of our girls grow and flourish here in West Lafayette.
Allie Gabriel is the Thomas J. Howatt Chair in Management in the Department of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at Purdue’s Daniels School. She also serves as the faculty director of the Center for Working Well and is an associate editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology. Her research aims to understand how employees thrive and promote their well-being at work and home.
