Tips for returning to work after maternity leave
When women become mothers, a lot changes in their lives. Nothing seems to be the same as before and yet some things are supposed to go back to the way they used to be. Your own career, for example. As intentional as maternity leave is, most women want to resume their careers after a while and find a good connection to their professional goals.
Here are some practical tips and strategies to help you make this transition successfully and return to work with confidence.
Plan your return to work
Plan when and how you want to return during your maternity leave and maintain an open and transparent exchange with your manager and the relevant HR specialists. This will give you clarity and make planning easier for your employer.
Communicate your wishes and needs openly
What counts here is openness and transparency regarding your wishes and needs. You are in a completely new life situation and are only just beginning to understand what you need. These may be different things than before your maternity leave - e.g. an adapted working model or more flexibility in the organization of your working day. It is important for both sides to negotiate how to continue working together successfully. The aim is to successfully integrate your changed circumstances well into your working life.
Keep in touch with colleagues and your manager
Keep in regular contact with your network to stay in touch. This will ensure that you continue to feel part of the working world and don't fall out of your professional role so easily. Staying in contact with your colleagues and contacts will also make it clear that you are still part of the team and that you will continue after your maternity leave.
Clarify childcare arrangements
Decide together with your partner in good time what childcare you want and organize everything you need. In many cities, you will need to wait a long time for a childcare place - make sure you take this into account. It may seem a long way off at the time of registration, but the day you leave your little one there for the first time is coming. So ask yourself carefully whether you have found a childcare solution that will allow you to do your job with peace of mind, joy and concentration. Your goal should be to hand over your child with joy and confidence while you can devote yourself fully to your professional role. Then returning to work will also be fun.
I can recommend practicing and going through the new processes beforehand. If everyone involved is a little practiced in saying goodbye or is clear about what needs to be done in the morning under time pressure, this increases the chances that everything will go well.
Be aware of your abilities and strengths
Be aware that you are gaining a lot of skills in all kinds of situations with your little one. This also makes you strong and resilient on many levels in your professional life. Be aware of this and celebrate yourself for overcoming challenges - even the supposedly small ones. The complexity in your life has increased enormously in one fell swoop and you are coping with it. That's really strong. Remember that!
Pay attention to your work-life balance
Put your child in care with confidence so that you can concentrate on your work. And it is just as important to stop working again. And then, make a clear transition back into your private life. Actively shape the transition by establishing spatial and temporal separations between work and private life. You now have more roles in your life than before and during your parental leave. Get a clear picture of when things are due. And what is left undone or is done by other people in your social network. Also think about yourself - when is there time just for you? Organize a network early on that can help you and your partner with childcare so that you can plan your time off right from the start.
Seek support
Don't be afraid to ask for support if you need it. Talk openly with your employer about your professional needs and take advantage of offers such as coaching or mentoring. If you are overcoming personal challenges, share your experiences with friends or seek professional help if you are stuck on your own.
Allow things to turn out differently than planned
And last but not least - just assume that you will make lots of perfect plans and that things will still turn out differently sometimes. That's no drama. That's just life. And the more you can accept that things sometimes change quickly with small children, the easier it will be for you to quickly make a new plan. You can do that and the world will keep turning. Such a little being brings an incredible amount of liveliness into your life and that is really wonderful, so embrace it. Even if things get chaotic. You can handle it!
Conclusion:
Your return to work after maternity leave comes at a turbulent time in your life. Many things are different now and it is particularly challenging to get everything under one roof. But you now know how you can prepare yourself.
Be up to date with all planning and organizational matters and be clear in your communication with your employer. Shape this transition together through an open and transparent exchange. You want your career to continue even with a child, and your employer relies on your expertise and know-how. You have a common goal. You can shape the path to it together.
That's what you're going for - with self-confidence and strength!
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