 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Back from Maternity Leave? It’s Time to Safeguard Your Job
Advice from Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio
If you love your job it is essential to get those first few days, weeks, and months back at the office after maternity leave right. It isn’t easy. Your hormones are still completely off, you may be breastfeeding, conflicting feelings about leaving your infant rise almost on the hour, and you may feel a little paranoid about your job security. In part, you are right to feel paranoid because even if your job isn’t at stake, your reputation as a valuable asset to the company just might be. It’s difficult to feel completely confident that you can make the successful return after seeing coworkers throw in the career towel after having kids. So take a deep breath and vow to take control of this reentry into work. Below we have outlined five actions to take within the first few months of your return that will shout to your team and your boss… I am back!
MEET WITH THE BOSS
Schedule a meeting with your boss on your first day back. Go into this crucial get-together projecting enthusiasm for returning to work even if you are conflicted about it. If you need to, fake your energy and positive attitude, because this is business. Even if you are friendly with your boss, she is absolutely not your friend in this context. She may be happy for you, but she does not want you crying in the office about missing your baby. Often bosses have prepared themselves for you giving your notice or, at the very least, having lost your edge. If your job and career at this particular company are important to you, then you must prove them wrong. Be engaged, ask questions, demonstrate that you are up to speed, and, if possible, have even moved a few things forward. Bring up the meetings you have scheduled with your team to review current issues or projects. Spend as little time as possible talking about the personal aspects of your maternity leave. Instead take the opportunity to bring up things you read or watched that are relevant to your company. Your boss wants nothing more than to take worrying about you and your workload off her plate, so do it for her. And do it fast.
MEET WITH THE TEAM
If you have an assistant, a team, or an entire division, focus on managing the minute you are back behind your desk. Pull in your senior team members individually to express your appreciation for what they accomplished in your absence. Get down to business by asking to be filled in on everything they may not have told you during your leave. If people have been dropping the ball or trying to undermine you, chances are you heard about it from someone when you were gone. Confront the coworkers and the issues head on as soon as possible. It will show the team that you are strong and you are back if you nip problems in the bud.
GET OUT THERE
Unfortunately, people are going to assume that you are less relevant professionally now. Professional validation helps combat the invisibility issue many new mothers experience at work. So make it a priority, if you haven’t already, to join high-profile groups and professional organizations. Don’t go overboard with the commitments; you do have a baby and about a million other things to worry about, but because most professional organizations cater to working people, the events are often at breakfast or lunch. Be strategic about what you take on; you are looking for high visibility and an opportunity to share what you’ve done or learned with your team.
DRESS TO KILL
This is shallow (and more than a little bit annoying to many of us), but the truth is, we are often judged on our appearance. This especially holds true for the working mother. Many corporate cultures make it difficult for us to be heard, make an impact, and be respected as a peer. It doesn’t seem fair that we are combating the assumptions that we would rather be home by taking on more than our colleagues, but that’s often what we have to do, at least in the beginning. So, yes, it makes a difference if we return to work looking put together. How you present yourself says something to the outside world and, right now, you want to say… I’m back, so listen to me, respect me, and appreciate what I bring to this organization.
BE CONFIDENT
How you carry yourself those early days back at the office will set the tone for how you will be perceived moving forward. Contribute to the first team meeting by expressing your pleasure at being back. Don’t be apologetic or tentative in any of those first meetings. You have no reason to be sorry. Maternity leave is your right and having a baby is your privilege, and don’t let anyone make you feel bad about taking time away from the office. Project to your boss, colleagues, and staff that you belong back at the conference table.
|
Copyright © 2009 by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio From the book HAPPY AT WORK, HAPPY AT HOME: THE GIRLS’ GUIDE TO BEING A WORKING MOM published by Broadway Books, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission. |
|
Browse all articles on career | Browse all articles from September 2009 |
