Returning to work after maternity leave...
My first day back after mat leave was…terrifying, uncomfortable, worthwhile and affirming.
It's fair to say that as a business owner maternity leave wasn’t exactly what I anticipated. My baby came nearly two months early, so I was literally working on the hospital bed, frantically trying to tie things up as she had her very first naps in the world.
For any parent, welcoming your first child is nothing less than a head f*&%, add the fact that I’ve had a very different, more business shaped baby in my life for nearly ten years.
Shamefully it has been hard to prioritise human life and let go of meetings, decision making and quite frankly my former identity.
Today is my first day back in the Full Fat Agency ‘office’ (we still have one of those…) and in our morning stand up, I admitted to our team that I was nervous for my first day back, and I wasn’t lying.
Questions running through my head on the walk from the station were, what am I going to do today? Will my team see my value? How do I reintegrate into the business? Do I have an actual role? Do I still deserve to be here? It was incessant.
Having now completed my first day, I thought it would be helpful to run down some go-to’s if you’re anticipating your first day back from Maternity or Paternity leave soon…
💃🏼Wear a kick-ass outfit that fills your bones with joy and prowess
😇Be honest about how your feeling, people will support you because they inherently want you to do well
📝Have a plan, go through emails (bulk delete, it's the only way)
💬Make time to chat to people and start building those relationships back up
✍️Do something you love about your work, for me it’s write or read some insight
👍Use your lack of knowledge on the minutiae to make some macro decisions for your business or your role (sometimes having space between you and your business is the perfect opportunity to make creative and impactful changes)
🪜Remember nothing was completed in one day, projects take time and so will your return
❌ Don’t get sucked back into the detail…
🤯 Try not to take on work that’s not in your wheelhouse just because you don’t currently have a mega to-do list
👩💻Check out what’s happened…get inspired by the amazing work your team has done and check out the market
Ultimately, the anticipation is always worse than the reality.
Turns out, of course I bring lots to my business and now as a mother I have a whole new experience to mine for Full Fat.
The experience of being out for a prolonged period has made me more flexible, less controlling, more positive and more strategic.
I’m excited for the future.
Bring it on.