How to come back with renewed energy after a career break

Hello dear friends,

In the 1819 story of ‘Rip Van Winkle’ by Washington Irving, the central character by the same name falls asleep for 20 years and wakes up to a very different world. In some respects, I kind of feel like him, having suddenly disappeared from an active role in the sustainability, ESG and mindfulness space due to caregiving responsibilities. About 5 years later, as I return to LinkedIn and to my various networks, many things have changed and many things haven’t!! The fundamental challenges that drew me into the field of sustainability remain as pronounced as ever if not worse - climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, social and economic disparities being some of the main ones. Having said that, I am especially pleased to see the explosive growth of the sustainability and ESG sector in Singapore and beyond, with several supportive regulations in place. A lot more can and needs to be done for society and the environment, and I can’t wait to get back and make a difference. One thing I’m glad about is that I can stay connected with most of you, even though you may have moved locations and/or organisations.

Before I share my thoughts, I’d like to say a big hello again to you, all my dear LinkedIn friends, ex-colleagues, group members as well as people I may not know too well. I must say, it feels great to be back!

Here are some of my reflections. I hope they inspire other career returners for whom there may be various barriers in making a re-entry to the workplace.

1.??? A Mum’s CV:

Whether you are looking after children or as in my case, looking after unwell and aged family members, the enormous patience and resilience that comes from handling multiple demands and even crises, can be really life changing. For many, these experiences bring on a certain level of maturity and compassion. A Mum’s CV (or Dad’s CV) which details the skills gained in a career break is becoming increasingly recognised and accepted by progressive organisations. MyCareersFuture, a Singapore government website published an article entitled ‘Why companies are eager to hire Singaporean women looking to get back to work”. In it, it quoted studies by Microsoft that?women are better at jobs after becoming mothers, with improved teamwork and multi-tasking skills. It is therefore important to have self-confidence and faith in your abilities and skills, because they never disappear. In fact, they only grow broader and deeper with a variety of life experiences.

?2.??? Going off at a tangent during a career break

Doing things like travel, hobbies and studies that seem totally off track, may actually be the best thing for yourself and your career once you return to the workplace.

I was very fortunate to have been introduced to Tibet House (New Delhi)’s Nalanda Buddhist Philosophy by an ex-colleague at The Potential Project, the last company I worked for as a corporate mindfulness trainer.? It gave me enormous strength to handle challenging caregiving responsibilities, through practices developing wisdom and compassion. It also enabled me to explore the deep rooted causes of fear and greed that lie at the heart of systemic crises in society and environment. It made me realise that no matter how advanced our technological capabilities or economies, society will neither be healthy nor happy, unless we change things at the level of our values - inculcating simplicity, kindness, inclusiveness, a sense of community, and other-centredness (we) over self-centredness (me).

I also studied ‘Logic & Debate’ at the Institute of Lama Tsongkhapa (Italy), a system that fosters critical thinking by using syllogisms to construct arguments and using that structure for debate using logical reasoning. It is something I enjoy applying to the sustainability domain, especially to flawed arguments of climate denial or greenwashing!

A career break is a great time to explore areas that may seem tangential to one’s work experiences. It inevitably brings richness and creativity to one’s thought processes and the way one relates to the world.

3. Connecting with other career returners

It is encouraging to know that one is not alone in this journey and that there are other women who aspire to return to a career after a break, despite unique challenges that they face along the way.

I was recently introduced to Sher-li Torrey Founder of Mums@Work. She and co-organiser Deborah Yuen organised a very meaningful session in collaboration with LinkedIn last month called Career Allies Network (CAN) to encourage career returners like me to reconnect with one other. Many thanks to a few of the Career Allies (coaches with whom I could connect with afterwards) willing to give their time for guidance and support. Thank you Lara Quie (a shout out for her wonderful webinar on leveraging LinkedIn), Sarah McKensey, Atul Harkisanka Moira Ann and June Boo 巫海毓 . If you're in Singapore, plug into the next CAN event.

4. Connecting with domain area specialists

I think it is really very important to come up to speed with what is going on in your domain area of expertise. Eugene Tay was the first person I reached out to for advice. A passionate and knowledgeable sustainability advocate and role model, he was one of the early environmental champions in Singapore who gave me the inspiration to foray into sustainability in 2008, from my earlier Finance and Economics career. Recently, I was at a green event called SPAN (Sustainability Professionals ASEAN Network) organised by Ken Hickson (a great creator of communities who I have known for several years) and Kevin Phun of CRTS (Centre for Responsible Tourism). It was great to meet several new people with very interesting specialisations. It is always fascinating to learn what makes people talk about excitedly, and how they have grown in their expertise over the years and the impact they are making. ?

?5. Continual learning

Whether you’re already in a career, or coming back, continual learning is an absolute must to keep pace with rapid developments in one’s area of expertise. The ESG (Environment, Social and Government) space which is what I am keen on, has been moving rapidly and in the right direction with the evolution of various international standards and frameworks being adopted by big institutions to large multinationals to SMEs. In 2016, Singapore Stock Exchange made sustainability reporting mandatory for listed companies. It is only likely that more legislations will come down the line for non-listed companies too. Another notable revolution is in the area of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and it is impacting every aspect of our lives. This is an area that one needs to stay up-to-date with, especially at the cross section with your specific domain. For me AI and Ethics, and AI and Sustainability are of particular interest. (More about that in the next post, as I spent a good full day at the NUS-ISS Learning Festival today learning about these topics.)

I am grateful to the Singapore Government for the SSG (SkillsFuture Singapore) subsidies given to Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. If you fall in this category, what better way to upskill oneself and stay relevant in one’s field! I had recently done a certification with SSG subsidy at SUSS by Grace Cheah on Global Reporting Frameworks and Implementation Roadmap, a succinct way to learn of the latest standards and some practical aspects of sustainability reporting. LinkedIn Learning has some really great courses that I can’t wait to cover!

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If you’ve reached this far, thanks for your interest! Do say Hi below (or DM me) to share your thoughts and comments. I’d love to hear from you and would be happy to meet for a cuppa for a conversation on Sustainability/ESG, or anything topic that may be of mutual interest. Talk to you soon! ??

Finally, I know Planet Earth is hiring (as always!), and am glad to say, I’m ready to join her team again.

#sustainability #ESG #careerreturner #greenevents #LifelongLearning #continuallearning #careerbreak #corporatesocialresponsibility #mumscv #CareerAlliesNetwork