Is it a good feeling to be back after my second maternity leave? Yes, it is and I’m not ashamed to say it. Those who know me well know that I gave birth to Oscar Joseph Hall on 16th August 2021, it was earlier than expected and not quite the plain sailing birth I’d have liked. Six months on and I’m back to work full time and both Charlotte & Oscar go to nursery 5 days a week. There is so much criticism around women returning to work too early, and at times I have felt pressure from people around me as they say it's “too early” to return to work. The truth is I wanted to come back to work.
I wanted to #breakthebias Work for me gives me a sense of who I am, I’m not just mummy, I’m not the cleaner, not the errand runner just for a few hours in the day, I’m Alison, I have a career and I know what I’m doing. I can have interesting conversations with the people I work with, we challenge each other and support each other and make each other feel good on a day that perhaps you don’t! Being a mum is the hardest thing I have done, and I don’t always know what I’m doing, the truth is, the nursery provides me with a break to do what I enjoy. However, I couldn’t do it without the support of Pro-Recruitment. Here are a few of the things that make my life easier returning to work.
- The parents here at Pro have the flexibility to have a family and still play a huge part in our business. They have full autonomy to do the hours they need to work to get their job done, whilst being able to do school runs etc
- We have the patience and understanding when children/carers are sick
- Our people work from home all of the time, and choose when they come into the office
- We know the costs of having a family and not being able to work, so our teams are gifted bonuses in return for the loss of bonus whilst they were off and income dropped.
We offer enhanced paternity bonuses so that new dads can spend time with their families and not rush back to work It's not just for International Women’s Day, we support all our employees year-round, men and women! But I write this post in the support of other women who feel guilty for saying they enjoy going back to work. Be proud of the mother that you are, you have given your child/children everything you have to give, they take over your body for a lot longer than nine months, the sleep deprivation is a real and the mental drain of constant power battles and tantrums can be another level from toddlers! You do all of this whilst still working, keeping your house running and still managing healthy personal relationships. Wow! I also write this post in support of those women who have help at home, whether it be someone to help with cleaning, cooking, childcare, its not easy admitting you can’t do everything, it's ok to make your life that little bit easier is not something to be ashamed of. In summary, I write this post to #breakthebias and to support women in not feeling guilty for coming back to work, to not feel guilty for wanting to get others to help, yes, we have an amazing talent of producing other humans, but it doesn’t mean they have to strip away the successful women we were before we had children, and the great role models we strive to be! In a very male-dominated industry, I am also very proud that at Pro-Recruitment we aren’t, and I’d like to thank all of the men and women at Pro-Recruitment who have helped make my maternity leave and my journey back to work so smooth and a lot less stressful than it could have been. I promise to do the same to you as and when you need it!
If you'd like a conversation about getting back into work or just someone to talk to about being a mum in today's busy world, please feel free to reach out!
