It’s a given that mothers who return to work after childbirth will now need more work flexibility. But a large number of mothers who return to work after giving birth end up leaving the work force. I’ve seen this with my own eyes. The main problem is employers failing to offer flexible work options, and not just to working mothers, but to working fathers, too.

According to the Census Bureau, half of all women make up the workforce, and 66 percent of couples both hold down jobs. The truth is, more working mothers would be willing to stay on the job if only they had more flexibility and more control over their work schedules. But it’s not just women who want flexibility. A lot of men want to be engaging fathers and some are even refusing to take jobs that don’t offer flexibility.

So now it’s time for companies to become more open to offering work flexibility, but the obstacle getting in the way is fear. Fear of change. Fear that, if they restructure how and when employees work it will be a daunting task, or that the company will lose money. Studies show that employees become more productive when they have flexible work options, but despite this fact, some companies still fear change.

Joan Williams, founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law, says there are four ways to provide more flexible work options to workers anywhere and in any job:

1. Create a dependable schedule

2. Set up a system to handle schedule changes

3. Address the issue of overtime

4. Offer hourly workers short periods of time off work

Williams also suggests that companies can keep their working moms by finding out what their needs are. Employers can also design parental leave policies not based on gender, and to treat pregnancy leave just as any other kind of disability leave.

Whatever flexible work options companies come up with can be presented in a way that shows that the flexibility benefits the company.