5 ways to successfully navigate maternity leave (& return with confidence).

Preparing to go on maternity leave, particularly if it is your first time, is quite a strange experience. On the one hand you are excited by the idea of this new phase ahead of you (that quite frankly couldn’t be more far-removed from work if it tried), but on the other-hand you might be feeling insecure about what will happen to your role and you have no idea how you might be feeling about it in 6, 9, 12-months’ time, when you return to work.

In this blogpost I have collated 5 things you can do to navigate the process as smoothly as possible and, when the time comes, return to the office feeling confident and in control.

This is by no means a definitive list, but more a collection of my experience and some great pieces of advice I have picked up from others along the way.

1 Prepare for your return before you leave

This may sound slightly counter-intuitive, but by putting some things in place before you leave you can pave the way for a smoother transition back to work.

Before you leave, make sure you have put time in with your manager to agree how you would like to be communicated with whilst you are away.  You may want to be kept in the loop on things but set boundaries around this that work for you – perhaps you’d like no contact from work for the first 6 months and then start receiving regular updates – setting these expectations means everyone knows where they stand.

Also, make a first draft plan of your KIT (Keeping in Touch) days. You are entitled to these, and they are paid.  You could include some key dates/events in your work calendar that you would like to attend, or just use them to acclimatise back into the office.  Remember you can always amend this plan later, but if you have already set out a draft there will be much less to think about when the time comes.

2 Collate positive feedback and achievements

This is a piece of advice I heard from the brilliant Jessica Chivers.  Take a bit of time before you go whilst you are still in ‘work mode’ to collate a folder of any positive feedback you have received from peers, management, team members (e.g., Performance Reviews, email feedback) as well as any key details of key achievements over the past few years when you have been at your best.

This can be a really powerful way of connecting back with your professional identity before you go back to work and remind you how awesome you are.

3 Disconnect

If you have set the terms of communication with your place of work before you go, this affords you the ability to completely close the door on it until the point that YOU want to reconnect. My personal advice is to try to have a complete break from thinking about work for at least a chunk of your maternity leave. It can help you feel present and connected to your new world, there is plenty of time to reconnect with work a bit later down the line.

4 Preparing to go back

Everyone has a different experience with motherhood and maternity leave, and it is every individual’s decision as to when the best time is for them to go back to work.

It is also completely normal to feel differently about it than you thought you would before you left. If you have changed your mind and wish to return to work earlier than intended, you must give your employer 8 weeks notice prior to your return.

In your final phase before retuning to work, review the KIT plan you made. Is it still relevant and aligned with how you’d like to transition back? If you plan a phased return, what does that look like.

5 Returning with confidence

One of the most common topics that comes up with my clients returning from maternity leave is a feeling of loss of confidence.

Take some time to consider what the word ‘confidence’ means to you. If it is connected to feeling competent in your role, then consider what skills or professional-based support you might need.  Is there something you’d like to do independently, or ask your employer to provide?

Perhaps it’s about assimilating back into the team – in both cases, spending some time sketching out what a successful return looks like to you.  If you have an idea of what this is, you will be better able to articulate this ahead of, or on your return.

A final note…

The transition back to the workplace is not always an easy one. Be kind to yourself and give yourself some time to get into your new routine. Be clear in setting your boundaries and communicate these to team members and your manager where appropriate – if they know them, they can help you stick to them.

Finally, remember that you are still the brilliant person you were before you went on maternity leave. You may have a slightly different perspective on things, or your priorities have shifted a bit, but you have totally got this!

If you are interested in maternity coaching for yourself drop me a message here.. If you would like some help approaching your employer about them supporting you with coaching, you can download an editable template here.