TAKING A BREAK?
Career psychologist Sinéad Brady (acareertolove.com) says that once you’ve made the decision, you need to own it. “You have to give yourself permission to own your decision, and you don’t need to explain it to anybody. Remember, this is a choice you’ve made, not a sacrifice. People looking in from the outside and judging it has no reflection on how happy you are.” Sinéad says it’s important too to remember that this phase of life isn’t forever and that you can set plans in place during this one for what comes next. “What you decide to do now is for this season of your child’s life – it’s not necessarily forever. Things can change again if you want them to when they get their ECCE place or go to school. It doesn’t need to be a loss. If you liked being in a vibrant setting surrounded by people, keep an element of that. It’s natural that part of your identity is built around your career. If your work had a professional organisation or CPD element to it, keep up your membership and attend training days or networking events – that way, you’re not cutting yourself off from your career. If you think that you’ll return to full-time work at some stage, perhaps when the children are in school, begin to look at ways to upskill or reskill and come up with a strategy for yourself.”
Sinéad works with a lot of women returning to work, and the biggest challenge a lot of them face is a lack of confidence. “Many women feel like they’ve done nothing in the time that they’ve been at home, but the reality is that they’ve worked inside the home, and those skills are directly transferable. Core skills are more important than ever. They’re often called soft skills, which I really dislike because I feel like they belittle talents that a lot of women naturally have; but things like clear communication, candid feedback, emotional intelligence and teamwork are things that you’ve been building the whole time you’ve been at home. And anyone who’s ever argued with a two-year-old knows that your negotiation skills need to be amazing! Any groups that you’ve been involved in, from parents’ associations to community groups, show evidence of ongoing skill-building. It’s important to remember that your prior accomplishments are still your accomplishments and can be replicated again in the future. Some organisations are changing for the better and are finding different ways of working.
It’s more about productivity and less about presenteeism. It’s so important to retain female talent.”
“The day I left for maternity leave, I sat in my car crying my eyes out. How would I cope not being in
work? But then she arrived.”