Ten Years of WOMBA: What we have learned from a decade of supporting working parents

Ten years ago, the world of work was a very different place. Flexible working was rare, shared parental leave was barely understood, and the term “working parent” was often shorthand for “working mum.”

At WOMBA, we started with a simple but powerful question: What would it take for parents to thrive at work - not just survive? That question has guided our coaching, our research, our consulting, and our commitment to working families across the UK.

Today, as we mark our 10-year anniversary, we’re reflecting on the journey - not just our own, but the journey of the thousands of working parents we’ve supported and listened to, and the organisations we’ve walked alongside.

What’s changed? What hasn’t? And what do we believe the next decade must bring?

What’s Changed: Visibility, Flexibility, and a Shift in Expectations

1. From Policy to Visibility

When COVID-19 hit, something shifted. Almost overnight, home and work collided. For the first time, the juggle wasn’t hidden - it was on full display. Children in Zoom calls. Colleagues sharing stories of homeschooling. And organisations seeing, in real-time, the full lives of their people.

This visibility helped legitimise the conversation we’ve been having for years: that working parents need support - and that support needs to be proactive, inclusive, and strategic.

2. The Rise of Flexible and Hybrid Work

Over the past decade, “flexibility” has evolved from a privilege to a pillar of talent retention. In 2020, flexibility was a necessity. In 2025, it’s a differentiator.

According to our research, 68% of working dads and 53% of working mums feel able to bring their “whole selves” to work. That’s progress - but it also shows the work still to do. Flexibility alone doesn’t create inclusion. Without cultural permission - especially for fathers - policies don’t equal practice.

“I was told I could work flexibly, but when I asked for reduced hours after my second child, my manager said, ‘You need to prove yourself again first.’”  -  WOMBA coaching client, 2022

What Hasn’t Changed: The Gender Gap, Emotional Load, and Systemic Hurdles

Despite strides forward, too many working parents - especially mothers - still face a cliff-edge and stark career choices after having children.

1. Becoming a working parent is still too hard

Our research with Hult Ashridge found that 48% of mums and 41% of dads found returning to work after leave “very or extremely challenging.” One in ten mothers told us they never felt truly settled back in.

“It felt like I had to pretend nothing had changed - when everything had.”  -  Parent in research interview

Many cited guilt, lack of induction, and pressure to overperform as barriers. Nearly half received no return-to-work induction, and a third had no contact with their employer during leave.

2. Gendered Expectations Persist

We learned that dads often left organisations for “better opportunities,” while mums left because they “had no choice.” That single line sums up so much about the still-uneven burden.

Flexible working, affordable childcare, supportive managers, and a parent-friendly culture were all more important to mums than dads - because mums are still expected to do more.

“I’m senior, I’m ambitious, and I’m also a mum. Why does it still feel like I’m being asked to choose?”  -  WOMBA coaching client, 2023

What WOMBA Learned - and How We Evolved

Over ten years, we’ve coached hundreds of working parents. We’ve seen the tears behind closed doors, the joy of restored confidence, and the courage it takes to re-enter workspaces that weren’t built with families in mind.

From Coaching to Culture Change

In the early years, our focus was one-to-one. We helped individuals navigate the return, rebuild identity, and advocate for what they needed. But as patterns emerged, we saw that the barriers weren’t individual - they were systemic.

So, we evolved. We built workshops for line managers, created diagnostics to measure parental inclusion, and launched the Thrive Model - a research-backed framework that identifies 13 key factors that enable working parents to thrive.

These include:

• Financial stability

• Flexible hours

• Supportive managers

• Affordable childcare

• Trust

• Inclusive culture
  

All are important. None are optional.

“The Thrive Model gave us language and data. We could finally show our execs why our working parent strategy wasn’t just a nice-to-have - it was a business imperative.”  -  HR Director, large tech client

What the Next 10 Years Must Bring

We believe the next decade will be defined not by what policies companies write - but by how they live them. Here's what we see ahead:

1. Parental Inclusion as Strategic Priority

With over 30% of the UK workforce now made up of parents, this isn’t a marginal group. It’s a core talent segment. Get it right for working parents, and you’ll get it right for carers, those with chronic conditions, and anyone juggling life’s complexities.

Thriving isn’t about adding more. It’s about doing what you already do - better, more consistently, with greater impact.

2. Shared Parenting as Norm

Men want to parent more - but too often, they’re discouraged from doing so. Shared parental leave uptake remains low, not because dads don’t want to take it, but because financially they can’t afford to, and workplace cultures still see caregiving as a “women’s issue.”

Changing this narrative matters - for equity, retention, and for children.

“When dads take leave, it changes the dynamics at home - and at work.”  -  Line manager, roundtable participant

3. Beyond Maternity Coaching

We’re proud of our coaching heritage. But the future calls for more: coaching for parents plus systems thinking. Culture audits. Leadership accountability. Inclusion metrics. Psychological safety.

We’ll be there - offering organisations tools, training, and insight to embed thriving cultures.

4. Affordability and Access

The cost of childcare remains a major barrier. While policy change is needed at the governmental level, employers can step up - through childcare subsidies, onsite options, or partnerships.

Flexibility alone won’t solve the crisis. Affordability matters.

WOMBA’s Call to Action

We’re inviting every organisation to ask:

• Do your policies match your lived culture?

• Are your managers equipped to support - not judge - working parents?

• Do your working parents see a path for growth, not just survival?

And most importantly: What does “thriving” look like for the parents in your organisation?

“No research without action. No action without research.”  -  Kurt Lewin

At WOMBA, we’ve lived this mantra. And we’re ready to keep living it - for the next decade and beyond.

A Note from Helen Sachdev, Founder & Director

“Ten years ago, we were a voice in the wilderness. Today, we’re part of a movement. And while progress never feels fast enough, we’re proud of the work we’ve done - and the future we’re building. To every parent we’ve coached, every leader we’ve challenged, every organisation we’ve walked alongside: thank you. Let’s keep going. Let’s make thriving the norm.”

A Note from Alison Green, Co-Director, WOMBA

“When I joined WOMBA in 2018, I was drawn by its purpose – and that’s as true today as it was then. Working parents are some of the most resilient, creative, and insightful individuals I’ve met. They bring a depth of perspective and breadth of experience that every organisation should want in its talent pipeline. What’s been clear to me - through our research, coaching, and conversations - is that thriving isn’t a solo act. It takes structure, support, and above all, commitment. I’m proud to co-lead a business that’s making that kind of commitment visible, scalable, and sustainable. The next chapter? Let’s write it together - with working parents at the centre.”