For many employers, parental leave begins and ends with a policy. But while a policy may outline how much time an employee can take away from work, it often does not address the operational and human challenges that surround leave itself.
That gap is what Arlington-based startup Resilient Returns was created to solve.
Founded by Licensed Professional Counselor and working parent MJ Yost, Resilient Returns helps employers manage the full parental leave lifecycle, from planning and communication before leave to employee support and reintegration after return. The company’s leave-management platform combines structured processes for employers with resources designed to help employees navigate one of life’s most significant transitions.
Yost’s perspective comes from both her professional and personal experience. As a therapist, she spent years supporting individuals through family building, pregnancy, postpartum, loss and the transition back to work. As a working parent herself, she also understood the practical challenges of balancing a growing family with a career. Those experiences helped her identify a gap in how employers prepare for the realities of parental leave.
“We often hear from organizations that they have a great parental leave policy on paper and a plan for the baby shower, but no real system for transitioning an employee’s work before leave or supporting their return afterward,” says Yost.
The challenge is increasingly relevant for employers of all sizes. While organizations invest significant time and resources in recruiting and developing talent, many lack consistent processes for helping employees navigate major life events while remaining engaged and connected to their careers.
For small and midsize businesses in particular, getting parental leave wrong can be costly. Losing an experienced employee can create recruiting and training expenses, disrupt team operations and result in the loss of valuable institutional knowledge. For high-growth companies, the challenge can be even greater. Rapidly expanding organizations often rely on specialized talent, move quickly to meet customer demands and operate with limited redundancy. When a key employee takes leave without a structured transition plan, the effects can ripple across projects, client relationships and team performance.
Resilient Returns approaches parental leave as a business process rather than simply an HR policy. Employers can use the platform to create pre-leave coverage and communication plans, prepare managers for an employee’s transition, conduct guided return-to-work check-ins and track key milestones throughout the leave journey.
At the same time, employees receive resources designed to help them navigate the personal and professional transition into leave and back to work. That dual focus, supporting both the employer and the employee, is central to the company’s approach.
The need for that support can become especially apparent when circumstances do not go according to plan. While many employers have established processes for a typical parental leave, fewer have a clear approach for navigating unexpected challenges or complications. The way an organization responds during those moments can have a lasting impact on employee trust, engagement and retention.
For Yost, building those processes is about more than managing a period of time away from work. It is about helping employers navigate the operational realities of leave while giving employees a clearer path through the transition and back to work.
Building Resilient Returns in Arlington was a natural choice for Yost, who grew up in the community and returned to raise her own family. She saw Arlington as a strong place to build a company, surrounded by employers of all sizes and a deep pool of professionals across industries. She is especially interested in helping local employers create workplaces where employees can build careers and families without having to choose between the two.
And the process does not have to be complicated. Employers do not need large HR departments or multiple technology subscriptions to manage leave well. They need a thoughtful process that begins before an employee steps away and continues through their return. For Yost, that is where a parental leave policy can become something more: a practical tool for supporting employees while helping businesses maintain continuity.
