How old was your child / children when you returned to work? Seven months old How hard was it for you to find child care? Quite hard but I got what I wanted by persevering. How did you cope with the combined challenge of your child going to child care and you returning to work? Relatively easy mainly because I have a very supportive workplace and my child care centre is across the road. Did you return to the same job? If no, why? Yes Are you part time, full time, job share or contract? Originally Part time (4 days). Now full time with one day working at home. What industry do you work in? What do you do? Government - IT. I am a Business Analyst/Project manager Is your employer understanding of the work/family balancing act? If yes, can you give an example? Yes, extremely understanding. They accommodated my need to continue breast feeding my child by enabling me to go up to the childcare centre several times a day. They also provide computer/system access to me at home so I now work one day a week from home. Now that you are a mum, have your expectations of work changed? A little. It doesn't seem quite as important as before but I still enjoy it. I am less inclined to stay back and work late anymore. As a mum, what positive attributes do you think you have brought back into the workplace? I am more motivated because I want to be there and I appreciate the work/life balance thing a whole lot more and encourage my staff to share the same view. How do you benefit personally from returning to work? I enjoy the challenge of work, the mental stimulation and the social interaction. I also see the benefits of the things my child does and experiences at childcare which I don't think I would be able to provide being at home. What are your top 3 tips for other mums returning to work? Don't stress. Be open and honest with your employer about what you want and how work can fit into your life. Enjoy your job because if you have to spend a lot of time there it needs to be worthwhile if you are going to be away from your child. |
