Great Suggestions On Confidence Boosters For Mums Returning To Work

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July 31, 2010

Making the decision to have a break from your career is never an easy one, but sometimes it can be inevitable. The decision may be necessary if you have a special event ahead of you, welcoming a newborn into this world. Mum can be very focused indeed when it comes to the significant challenge of raising a child and it is understandable that her main focus may not, for the time being, be on her career, which will be on hiatus. Thankfully, our society is very understanding and mum is very rarely in a financial bind during these all-important days.

Relatively few women actually go through the effort of planning out a career in its entirety, taking into account what they plan to do in their life from a personal perspective and mapping out how they will handle childbirth, all the way through to the transition back to the workplace. It is, after all, very difficult to plan your entire career and personal life in advance, most especially given the financial and economic uncertainties that we have encountered in recent times. Such economic turmoil is enough to throw anyone’s plans off track, but for the mother getting ready to return to work after her break, it can be a particularly stressful time.

Mum needs to be very confident when she returns to work after a career break, for a number of reasons:

First, she should never forget that she was hired because of her personality, ability, education and skill sets. This combination is not easy to find in a replacement, as the human resources department will be only too well aware. Quietly and subtly, she should draw attention to these valuable assets!

Second, remember that there is nothing to feel guilty about. Childbirth is a natural right for women in our society and the vast majority of employers recognise and accept their liabilities as a consequence of doing business. While it is true that a lengthy absence can be a little disruptive for the employer, this has to be taken in stride and there is no reason to feel guilty at all when returning to the fold.

Third, don’t forget that you will have picked up some excellent managerial and planning techniques, as you moved through the process of childbirth and family planning. Don’t underestimate these important skills and remember that you will be able to convert them for use within the work environment, as well.

Fourth, remember that, on average, 50% of the workforce is made up of women, a large proportion of whom fully sympathise with your position, as they have been in your position! This almost guarantees a sympathetic approach from them, when you reappear.

Finally, your new family must be viewed as a fantastic achievement and one that you should be rightly proud of. Not only should you be proud of what you have done, but you should consider that, after the rigours of childbirth, anything that they can throw at you in the workplace should be relatively easy to handle.

If this really is too much for you, consider professional coaching as you work through it. Within our hectic daily lives, we have access to online coaching as a solution, where professional coaching for women returning from childbirth can really help to overcome any and all problems that lay ahead.

Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.

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