This article presents findings from an action research study into how maternity-return coaching can complement organisational maternity benefits in order to facilitate career re-engagement. In an initial step, mothers and managers of two multinationals were interviewed. Based on the findings a coaching programme was developed, mothers were coached, provided feedback and the programme was refined. The research indicates that maternity-return coaching can complement organisational benefits by supporting mothers on an individual level. This can be achieved by developing strategies to use the organisations’ existing framework optimally, or by clarifying and communicating expectations. These findings could be relevant in other business sectors or similar return scenarios.