My Maternity Return

Mamas let’s be on honest, the cost of living has officially hit us all and our pay simply isn’t looking the same. That’s if you are still getting paid or was paid at all on maternity leave, of course. Statutory pay isn’t great, especially in today’s economic climate. That said, we push on and work with what we have, we’ll find a way to make our situations work for us.

Before The Mumsultant, I coached many millennial women on career changes and pursuing the goal of setting themselves up for the future. One of my favourite success stories was a woman working in the public sector who didn’t have great employee benefits which made her nervous about family planning. She was also saving for a house with her partner and felt stuck, being prudent with her money left little income for fun and she was unhappy at work to make matters worse. I coached her for a few months, and she landed a sensational role in the private sector, doing a role that suited her personality and skillset, she also got a benefits package that made her comfortable for the future. The salary increase was exceptional which gave her more freedom to smash the first house goal and to spend a little more on herself.

This lovely client had her first child last year, got married this year and bought her first home in 2019, two years after our work together. The reason I am telling you this is because we often feel stuck in our situations or hope for improvement at the next bonus round. Often enough, we are the improvement that’s needed. What can we do to take control of our situation to feel more freedom? How can we fall into our plans with absolute trust that it will happen? My thoughts, take the wheel and drive!

Many of us will have to go back to work after our maternity leave, in fact many women I am speaking to are having to go back earlier to ease the financial pressures on their households. In working with what we have, I’ll tell you how my maternity leave went.

When you go on maternity leave you should know:

• Your pay schedules

• How many days annual leave you have by your expected return date (you can always change this) have copies of important documents to read and keep up to speed for the maternity return

• How you want to use your Keeping in Touch (“KIT”) days. You can use a KIT day for a team lunch, company townhall style meeting and networking hour, or you can log in to clear emails.

• Have a copy of you employee handbook to understand the conditions of your maternity leave

• Be clear on the arrangements of shared parental leave if you are taking this route

I was approaching month 5 of my maternity leave and knew I was fast approaching statutory pay, I had savings and the bonus for that year to see me through my remaining months. That said, the bonus talk prompted my decision. In the year of the great resignations, my salary did not move and had been the same since for a while, now facing childcare costs, I genuinely had no choice but to dip my feet in the market and leave my current employer. After the usual corporate script on company financials and telling me the numbers, I updated my CV and reached out to recruiters to let them know my situation.

My list was simple enough:

• My return date (I was firm on this date as it was in line with my childcare arrangements)

• Looked for a family friendly company, I needed a management team that had families too

• Set my salary expectations on what I am worth (with my new budget in mind)

• Remote role or hybrid working

• A role that gives me career development (I am still me after all)

Some recruiters understand and some don’t, luckily I managed to time my job hunt perfectly. By month 7 of my maternity leave I had reminders to check in with recruiters to keep me in mind for roles that suited my skillset and salary requirements. At this point I knew what recruiters took me seriously as a couple did the same just to keep me in the loop on recruitment trends. By month 8 I had interviews lined up with the hopes of securing an offer for month 9. This would take me to the final months without statutory pay and I could use my accrued annual leave to get back on payroll.

Top tip here: if you have a set up like this, remember to use your KIT days during the statutory/no pay months as you will be paid your salary pro rata.

I had an offer by month 9 and the screening took place during my notice period, and I was back on payroll. If you are on a three month notice period, it can feel like corporate handcuffs but in the world of maternity leave it flies by. With the right experience and personality, the right company will wait for you. You can also use your annual leave to negotiate your leaving date to start a new job earlier if you need to. Speak to your HR team at both the places for advice, if you have a personal contact that knows HR too, then get the scoop!

Top tip here: be upfront on what you want to see with employee benefits, does this suit your current lifestyle? Parental Leave entitlement should be clear, health benefits and family member entitlement and anything else you need to make your family life more comfortable. Gone are the days where we are happy with hearing about the standard annual leave entitlement and the gym discounts. As lovely as a prosecco tap and pizza nights might sound, we also have to be realistic on family benefits.

My discussions with HR were around employee benefits, parental leave to be precise and if there was a maternity buddy system in place at the new job. I got my answers and was happy enough to accept the role and didn’t look back. Working with lots of new parents softened the shock of returning to an office environment for the first time after lockdown and a baby.

Nursery fees are far from cheap, but we wanted to give our son the opportunity to socialise and develop. Being honest with myself, I knew I wanted to feel like myself again and I needed to shake this anxiety of not being around my son. Seeing him enjoying nursery, and having things to do for myself was a healthy step into our new family routine. As much as it surprised me, the hybrid model worked out better for my mental health. As much I didn't believe it, having me time was overdue and something I wished I did sooner.

Tell me Mamas, what’s your thoughts on your maternity return?