Returning to Work After Having a Child: Things to Consider
If you are a new mother and considering returning to work after having a baby, then there are a number of things you need to think about. We’ve outlined a few things below but there are many things you should consider and everyone’s situation is different so do some research and find out what might work best for you!
We teamed up with our friends at Randstad who put together a returning to work hub covering returning to work from maternity leave, mental health or illness which you might find useful. There are also other useful resources such as the money advice service and it’s also worth seeing if your employer has any information on your rights and benefits! We also have plenty of tips when it comes to careers, which you can check out here.
1. Put a plan in place
Once you’ve decided on returning to work, it’s a good idea to take some time to think about what you’re looking for from your role. Having targets, working hours and a talk through what your role will look like is a great place to start. Not everyone wants to do exactly what they were doing before and you might find that things have changed whilst you’ve been away. Taking some time to sit down with your manager is a good idea as it allows you to both be honest and discuss what you’re both looking for when you return. Once a plan is in place it will make the return to the workplace a little smoother and you’ll have something to work towards.
2. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself
There can sometimes be a lot of pressure to return to the world of work, will things be the same when you return and other things like this might be on your mind. Your priorities might have also changed since you’ve been away, which doesn’t mean to say you don’t want to return and do the best you can, of course you’re more than capable of doing exactly as you did before. However, you might find that if your career was very demanding and didn’t allow for a lot of free time, then you might want to talk to your manager about changing things up a little and seeing what returning might look like, for you both. It’s all about trying to achieve a balance, which is easier said than done sometimes and might take a little while to figure out.
Change your career
If the thought of returning to your previous role doesn’t feel right to you or maybe you feel as though it might be time for a change then this could be the right time to consider doing so. You could use your time off to study a new course, learn some new skills and consider entering a new role when you want to return to the world of work. If you’re looking for something more flexible to suit your new responsibilities such as child care and more family friendly working hours, then maybe a job in education or working within a school or university might be something worth considering. The flexible hours and having term times off might be something that works well for you. Alternatively consider working part time or flexi- time, there are plenty of roles out there that might be suitable!
