Mary Poppins has taken what?

This time last year I had been back at work 2 weeks after 7 months off on maternity leave. It was the second time I had been off on mat leave, and I had such a weird feeling of guilt that I had taken time off to have a baby. I know lots of stories about return to work parents (mostly females) feeling worried and questioning their ability to do the job they had been previously more than capable of doing, but for me, it was just all-consuming guilt.?

7 months felt too young for my baby girl to go to nursery 4 days per week, she had only just learnt how to sit up on her own and had stopped breastfeeding the day before I went back to work. The sheer amount of thoughts and emotions I had going on in my mind were crazy, but they were all my choice, maybe not my ideal situation but they were my considered decision.?

Now I know IWD isn’t just about women having time off in relation to babies, but no doubt there is going to be a lot of attention on the various platforms today - and rightly so. Whilst progress around gender equality has been made (in this country anyway), we all know there is still huge amounts that can and need to be done.?

If nothing else, I would love for any person reading this who has concerns around their career and having a baby, to feel reassured – although it is probably only fair to say ‘a career in the recruitment industry’, as that is where my experience lies. Hopefully there are more stories in the comments that open this up across other industries.

I have written this article because on more than one occasion I have been able to have conversations with women in my industry and confidently tell them that their career is not going to be halted because they are having time off to have a baby. Speaking from experience, having 2 babies has given me even more joy and fulfilment than I ever had before. Even more meaning to anything I was ever doing, in fact. That is of course not to say anyone without kids doesn’t have that, I am just speaking from my own personal experience.?

Both times I have returned to work I have been promoted within the year. This time around it was 8 weeks, and I was promoted to Managing Director. For 10 years I had been working towards that role from being a Senior Consultant and I certainly wasn’t going to let 2 x 7-month 'breaks' affect that.?

I was efficient before; now I am like Mary Poppins on speed.

All the crap gets cut, there is no time for it.

A 4.00pm - 5.00pm meeting ends at 5.00pm.

Actions get actioned almost immediately.

The to-do list continues to grow but not quicker than the ‘ticking-off’ does.

Goal setting has taken on a whole new meaning. None of my personal goals and professional goals have changed but now I have additional goals; goals that include my 2 little humans.

My emotional intelligence has further developed, whilst I certainly wasn’t chilling out, I had a chance to ‘reset’ (one of our teammates had 3 months off to travel and within 6 months of his return was one of the top performers and hit his career personal best). I believe periods of ‘reset’ (in both work and in life) are key to success.?

Yes, there are natural obstacles to overcome such as building new relationships with new peers, customers, stakeholders etc, and you may even be starting from zero again if you are a billing Consultant. But instead of maternity leave / a sabbatical / time off to explore a bit of life, your client could end all your contractors with 1 weeks’ notice and your ￡10k a week book drops to zero (this happened to my husband).

Your value is not defined by the pinnacle of your success and your success is not defined by your client list or your contractor book. You are a person with a wide array of skills and vast knowledge and for every day you are a teammate, you are adding value.??

To every person who wants to have children and a successful career in the recruitment industry, it absolutely is possible to have both.?

Am I exhausted?

God, yes.?

How do I manage that?

Take more breaks that aren’t the half-arsed breaks that are really me taking my work phone on holiday.?

Do I have a work phone??

No, I am too obsessed with work and prefer it all on one device. However, I am getting much better at moving the phone away from my person to help with my ‘being present.’

What do I worry about??

Irrational but possible events like serious illness/accidents. Not Paul in Accounts failing to complete a credit check in time or Linda who had accepted my job but is now ignoring my calls.??

Am I motivated??

More than ever.?

I am already enjoying teaching my eldest about work values and progress in life. And whilst I may never know for certain if I’ve achieved it, I am determined that my career will never be at the expense of my family. It hasn’t so far so I’m remaining hopeful #breakthebias

I am always happy to have a chat with anyone who has questions around this topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Sometimes it’s just nice to share how you’re feeling or say what you’re really thinking without being worried about any ramifications.

Thank you for reading this article and Happy International Women’s Day to everyone. How blessed and grateful I feel to be writing this from the safety of my home.