Reducing Female Attrition in Tech Through Reproductive Health Insight

HeyFlow partnered with MotherBoard to explore the maternity experience in the UK tech sector — where 50% of women leave the industry by age 35, often due to challenges around pregnancy, maternity leave, and returning to work. This collaboration demonstrates HeyFlow’s ability to deliver sector-specific Diagnostics and drive Transformation that supports retention and progression of women in tech (Source).

The Partnership | What We Did

• Ran a focus group with 12 women from SMEs and corporates who had experienced pregnancy and maternity while working in tech.

• Mapped the full maternity journey — from announcement to return to work — with a focus on managerial support.

• Identified key pain points and cultural barriers impacting retention.

Outcomes

• Findings informed the MotherBoard Charter’s Return to Work Checklist, now used by signatory businesses to improve support for mothers.

• Provided actionable insights for HR and DEI teams to improve maternity policies and manager training.

• Enabled more open conversations around reproductive health, reducing stigma and improving employee experience.

Why It Matters for Your Business

• The UK tech sector loses £2–£3.5 billion annually due to female attrition (Source).

• Only 3% of women leave tech due to caregiving; the real drivers are lack of progression (25%), recognition (17%), and pay equity (15%)—all areas HeyFlow addresses (Source).

• 52% of working mothers are dissatisfied with the support they receive when returning to work, and 47% plan to leave their jobs within a year (Source).