Not to mention the stress and strain of endless new logistics. So how can you make your first few weeks back in the office as smooth as possible? If you have the choice, is it better to ease back slowly or to jump right in? How should you manage your relationships with your boss and coworkers? Perhaps most important, where can you turn to get the emotional support and encouragement you need during this time? Or you may even feel guilty about your decision to go back to work in the first place.
Here are some pointers for how to navigate those first weeks back at work. Your life has changed dramatically. Indeed, many people come back from parental leave and consider quitting. Take, for instance, the question of whether you return gradually by working a couple of days a week or resume full-time work from the get-go.
Whichever path you choose, Dowling recommends working only two or three days in your first week back on the job. Do a few practice runs Returning from parental leave often involves executing on a new set of complicated logistics. Dowling recommends doing at least a few practice drop-offs or asking your sitter to start a week early. Dry runs will help you, too. Be candid and realistic about what can be accomplished in your first few weeks and months back on the job. Set expectations with colleagues Be mindful of how you manage relationships with colleagues as you settle into your new work life.
Be direct about how and when you will work. Some plans allow more time if you had a C-section or other complications during delivery. Some also cover physician-prescribed bed rest before delivery. If you want to extend your time off beyond the length of your maternity leave or STD benefits, you may be able to use any and all of the following:.
Talk to your HR department about whether you can:. Keep these tips in mind:. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.
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In This Article. Lots of women say they feel torn between wanting to care for their family while also trying to hold onto their career.
Would there still be a place for me in the company? Would the company be recognisable as the one that I left? They may also feel anxious that their career progression will suffer if they return doing reduced hours. But I was made to feel by management that I was letting people down by taking a year off. On the other hand, some mums-to-be relish the thought of maternity leave and feel relieved about the break from deadlines, physical work, mundane and repetitive work, office politics or commuting.
She worked in the civil service. She says. I felt being a mum was, and is, a far more important job. Even if you have mixed feelings about maternity leave, try to be positive and look towards the future and the special time ahead with your new baby.
There are also lots of ways to help you find the right balance between work and family life, such as different hours or Shared Parental Leave. If you feel you are being treated unfairly because of your pregnancy, free legal advice and support is available from the Working Families helpline on , or email advice workingfamilies.
If you have worries, talk them through with your partner, family, friends, trusted colleagues, or your boss. For more information, see Shared Parental Leave and Pay. My employer pays occupational company maternity pay, will I have to repay it if I resign? Firstly, you will be entitled to receive any occupational maternity pay up until the end of your notice period.
Secondly, you should check your employment contract or maternity policy to see if you are required to repay your occupational maternity pay if you do not return to work for a reasonable period after maternity leave, this is usually 3 to 6 months. You can also only be asked to repay any occupational company maternity pay over and above the amount of SMP or Maternity Allowance that you were entitled to.
If you have to repay any occupational maternity pay, you can ask to repay it in small instalments. If you have returned to work for part of the period required you should only be required to repay part of the maternity pay. However, you will need to check the terms of your maternity policy and speak to your employer. It may be worth exploring ways of returning to work if you want to avoid having to repay your occupational maternity pay. For example, can you use your accrued annual leave for a phased return to work or return part-time or on a more flexible working arrangement?
If your employer has refused a flexible work request without good business reasons and you are not able to return for childcare reasons you may have a claim for indirect sex discrimination. See our information sheet Child friendly working hours. If there is a dispute about whether your maternity pay is repayable or how much is repayable you should talk to your employer to try to resolve it. Your employer may be willing to waive repayment of your occupational maternity pay as part of an exit settlement if you are not able to return to work after maternity leave.
You can ask to repay any company maternity pay or overpayment in reasonable instalments, taking account of your household income and outgoings. You must be able to cover essential bills and housing costs. You may find it helpful to speak to a debt adviser who can help you negotiate with your employer and agree a reasonable repayment plan. You can get free regulated debt advice from Stepchange — www. If there has been an overpayment of pay or maternity pay during your maternity leave, your employer can recoup it.
If you are not returning to work, your employer may deduct any occupational maternity pay that you owe from any outstanding wages or holiday pay. If you do not agree with the amount that has been deducted you should write to your employer. If you are unable to resolve it you can make a claim for unauthorised deduction of wages in an employment tribunal.
You must start the claim within three months less one day from the date of the deduction or series of deductions and you should speak to ACAS first to start Early Conciliation, see Where to go for more help. You continue to accrue annual leave as normal during the 52 week maternity leave period. It may be maternity discrimination if your employer refuses to provide your normal paid holiday and benefits because you have been on maternity leave.
For more information, see Rights during maternity leave and return to work. You continue to accrue annual leave up until the date that your employment ends i. If you still have annual leave owing to you when your job comes to an end, your employer must pay you for any annual leave that you have not been able to take. If you are owed annual leave or any other sums at the end of your employment you should contact your employer, for example, by speaking to your payroll department or HR.
You must start the claim within three months less one day and you should speak to ACAS first to start Early Conciliation, see Where to go for more help. Once your baby is born you can claim Child Benefit. If you resign from your job, your Working Tax Credit will continue for a four-week run-on but you can remain on Child Tax Credit if you stop work.
You should get advice before making a new claim for Universal Credit as this will end your tax credits and you may be worse off on Universal Credit. For more information or to report any changes of circumstances, contact the Tax Credit Helpline on or see: www. You are exempt from work-related requirements if you are a single parent or nominated as the main carer of a child under 3. For more information on Universal Credit, see: www.
You can get more advice on Universal Credit claims through the free Citizens Advice Help to Claim service: England: , Wales: , Scotland: Claim on form SF Sure Start , available from your local Jobcentre Plus or online here , from 11 weeks before your baby is due until 6 months after the birth.
You may also be able to get help from your local council with discretionary housing payments, council tax reduction or local welfare assistance schemes. For more information on benefits, see: Money for Parents and Babies. You can claim contribution-based New-style Jobseekers Allowance NS-JSA if you are unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week and you have sufficient National Insurance contributions in the last two to three years, not the year in which you make your benefit claim.
You must be available and looking for work but you can limit your available hours to fit with your childcare. Once you have made a claim you will be given an appointment with a work coach. You can be sanctioned for 91 days for losing work but you would be eligible for JSA after that period. You cannot be sanctioned for voluntary redundancy, stopping work because of a strike, increasing your hours for a trial period which does not work out or following a lay off or short time working.
You may also be able to claim Universal Credit depending on your household income, number of dependents and your housing costs. Contribution-based benefits and Maternity Allowance are taken into account as income if you are claiming Universal Credit and will be deducted pound for pound but you may still be entitled to Universal Credit to top up these benefits or if you have a low income or have lost work.
You can claim Universal Credit if you have resigned from your job providing you are fit for work, you sign a claimant commitment and meet the job-seeking requirements. If you have a child between one and three you are expected to take part in work-related activities such as work preparation.
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