When mothers try to return to the workplace after a long break, it can be a very difficult time. Many moms feel both guilt and fear. They ask questions like, “Have I been gone too long?” “Will I be able to balance work and home now?” and “Will my children feel abandoned?” Not only is their self-doubt to contend with, but many mothers also find that employers are hesitant to hire a woman who’s been absent for such a long stretch.

Whether you’re returning to the labor market because you want to, or because you have to, know that you may face some steep challenges. However, please remember that you’re not alone. More than 59% of all American mothers will return to work within one year of having their child. This isn’t some impossible task. As society has shifted towards a deeper appreciation for the struggles that working moms and mothers in general face, the transition will continue to get easier.

To help you get started, here are five tips from moms just like you who made the successful transition back into the workforce.

1. Bridge the Gap in Work Experience

Once you’ve made the decision to return to work, one of the biggest initial hurdles you’ll find is employers thinking that you’re out of touch. If you had limited maternity time, this won’t be as big an issue. However, if you’ve been out of the workforce for a year or more, many employers are going to have doubts about your ability to integrate back into the fold.

Demonstrate Your Marketability

Though you priority up until this point has been your newborn (and rightfully so), now’s the time to start addressing this hurdle. You need to take opportunities to prove your marketability. Some options you can explore include:

• Contributing to blogs or websites in your career field
• Update your resume to reflect the managerial and organizational skills you’ve developed as a mother
• Highlight any involvement you’ve had in volunteer work and community projects
• List any professional development or continuing education pursuits that you’ve completed (and even the ones you’re still working on).

Using one or more of the above suggestions will help show employers that just because you haven’t been employed doesn’t mean you aren’t prepared to work.

2. Use This as an Opportunity to Evaluate Your Working Life

When you left for maternity leave, were you just as grateful to get away from your workplace as you were to spend time with your new baby? If so, that’s a major problem. If your job was unbearable before you had your baby, it will be absolutely miserable when you’re trying to balance work with your new role as a mother.

If you’re ready to re-enter the workforce, take the time to really examine whether or not your old job made you happy. If it didn’t, this is the perfect opportunity for you to find a better position. Explore new working opportunities and positions that are available. If you’re in a specialized career field like healthcare, higher education, or IT, take advantage of job resources catering to those fields.

3. Have Childcare Planned Well in Advance

One of the biggest points of doubt you’re going to have about returning to work is knowing that your child is safe when you aren’t there. Having a childcare plan that you’re comfortable with will go a long way towards assuaging your fears. Whether you opt for a daycare center, a live-in nanny, or simply dropping the baby off with grandma, you need to feel 100% confident that your child’s every need will be provided for. That will help you retain focus when you’re trying to get back in the swing of working.

4. Prioritize Essential Tasks to Avoid Burnout

You’ve already had a small taste of how your lifestyle changes after you have children. However, when it comes to combining motherhood with working life, the stress can be overwhelming. If you try to be a “super mom” who consistently works late while raising a child simultaneously, you’ll burn out quickly.

In order to keep yourself sane, list out the chores and activities you do on a regular basis. Prioritize them by importance. As you adjust to your new routine, you’ll quickly see what you actually have time for and what will simply have to wait. By prioritizing your tasks in advance, you can be confident that your most important chores are taken care of. You can fling yourself down on the couch after work without feeling nearly as much guilt.

5. Don’t Forget to Take Time for You

It’s very easy to get caught up in the whirl of working life. You’ll be tempted to try and live up to the label of “Working Mom” every minute of every day.

Pro tip: don’t do it.

You were your own person before your baby came, and you’ll still be yourself when you return to work. No matter what your employer or society at large thinks of you, it’s important that you take a break from being a working mom now and then to spend some time just being you. Take a Saturday brunch with friends. Hire a sitter to enjoy an evening out with your partner. Whatever it is that allows you to retain a sense of your own identity, indulge in those fun activities now and then.

Published: 2019-03-07 10:22:07