Returning to work after having a baby can be a bit daunting. Not only has your whole life completely changed, but you must also get to grips with things that may have changed in the workplace too.
After the birth of my son, returning to Printhouse was 9 months away. It occasionally crossed my mind how things were going but on the whole, I was so wrapped up in my new baby that my working life seemed like a whole different world away.
When on maternity leave, you are entitled to Keeping In Touch Days or Kit days which are basically days in which you can go in to work during maternity leave (leaving baby at home of course!) which are helpful to both the employee and the employer. I promised myself that I would take full advantage of this scheme, for professional and financial reasons. It would be a great way of keeping in the loop, I thought.
Juggling work and family life.
8.75 months flew by and the week before returning to work, I suddenly remembered the Kit days. Why didn’t I use them? If I did, I wouldn’t feel so totally unprepared to go back to work. Having left my position temporarily to Bhanu, I knew my role was in capable hands, however, I was still concerned about so many things. What if I didn’t fit back in? Would I remember how to do my job after being away for so long? Would I still be able to handle working whilst juggling my new family life? After all, most parents know that after having a child, your brain seems to reboot. At home, I found myself forgetting even the simplest of things. My confidence for tasks other than caring for my baby was pretty low and the thought of going back to work on top having to look after my new family made me somewhat nervous.
When I returned, I had to keep reminding myself that I had a little baby at home now and that was what felt weird. Being back at work felt like I had never been away. As it happens, I settled back in fine. After all, I have been working at Printhouse for nearly 12 years. The first week felt like I was learning everything all over again but getting back into the swing of things, it all came back to me. I had to get back on the proverbial horse, override my work related self confidence issues and trust that I would be welcomed back with opened arms.
And this I was… though apparently Bhanu spoilt Tom a bit with the coffee. A fact I am reminded of on occasion.
So thanks Bhanu for making my transition back to Printhouse a smooth one and to all my lovely co-workers (who are basically my friends) for piling job bags high on my desk before I had even removed my coat. I actually missed you believe it or not. It’s good to be back.
