This concise guide outlines how to secure a board position after returning from maternity leave.
It is common for women who have left the workforce to have a family to find it hard to return, especially if they’ve taken a few years off from traditional corporate employment. This difficulty can shake your confidence and instead of reaching for that next level of your career, you feel you have to settle for something less.
Few women believe that it’s possible to return from maternity leave and go straight to the boardroom. It’s not hard to see why. The pathway to securing board positions is unclear, seemingly out of reach and often, not widely promoted.
However, there is no real reason why a woman who has had a successful corporate career at executive level or CXO-level cannot secure a board position in an advisory board or non-executive director capacity.
This type of work is ideally suited to women with young families as the hours that come with board work are often manageable and predictable so it can be easy to balance both personal and professional aspects of your life.
Securing a board position does require careful planning. Here are tips for anyone, on maternity leave or not, who wants to build a board career.
1. Establish a personal brand
This is essential if you want to return to the workforce and secure a board position. First, get yourself a stand out resume that highlights the skills, experience and capabilities that you will bring to the boardroom. This should also include any previous experience reporting to the board, sitting on steering or sub-committees or any voluntary board experience.
You should also ensure you have a great corporate biography and a LinkedIn profile that complement each other. You may also want to consider having your own personal website so you are easily found online.
2. Build your board level connections
This is a priority! Invest time and effort in re-establishing meaningful relationships with the senior business community, including other board directors and key influencers in the board search area. Be strategic about the people you need to connect with. Consider joining clubs, attending events and reconnecting with existing networks and ask for introductions.
3. Engage professional support
A mentor can help you work out your key strengths, value proposition and to develop your elevator pitch. They can also help give you a much needed confidence boost and prepare you for interviews. You may need to brush up on your language skills and the way you present yourself so you can convince future employers you are ready to re-engage in the corporate and business world.
Don’t let your self-confidence get the better of you. Australian boards are crying out for fresh, diverse talent and women are well positioned to take advantage of this. There is no reason for senior women with the right experience cannot go after and land great board positions.
Strategies for returning from maternity leave
Planning for returning from maternity leave is critical so that the transition is smoother for both mother and baby. As this is a timed event, it’s easier to prepare to juggle your child’s work and education.
Several aspects will be transformed, such as bedtime, daily habits and time for commuting to work. Having a plan is the best way to organize this moment intelligently, making all the necessary adjustments – whether in the mother’s routine or in baby care
With the pandemic, it is possible that the return to work will be in the home office (or telecommuting) regime . Although it is a lighter transition, several adaptations must be made to the routine, such as having an adequate space to work, defined times for each activity, among other aspects.
Get organized for returning from maternity leave
Some attitudes contribute to preparing for this moment, providing more security for mothers. Check out our tips on what can be done!
Plan the baby’s routine
An important step towards this change is to plan the baby’s routine, from the simplest activities to feeding and nap times. This is a way to calm down during your working hours, knowing exactly what happens in your child’s daily life.
Plan who will be the person or place responsible for keeping the baby and define what activities and times will be daily. If possible, arrange with the person in charge so that the new routine starts before work starts, so that you can follow up and, if something goes wrong, make adjustments or changes.
Divide tasks at home
Another interesting aspect is dividing the tasks at home, after all, the time for each activity will decrease with the return to work. This division may already be part of the family routine, but some new adaptations can be made, respecting the family’s new schedule.
This helps improve the amount of time you’ll be in contact with your baby. That way, you have more time to enjoy your child and rest, recharging your energy for the next day’s work.
Introduce new people and routines into the child’s life
Another important tip is to introduce new people and routines into your child’s life. In addition to the father, it is possible for the baby to stay with grandparents, nannies, other family members or in a day care center. Whichever you choose, it’s a good idea to insert these people into your child’s daily life before the end of maternity leave.
In this way, the baby begins to get used to the new faces and the absence of the mother . In addition, routines are modified, such as breastfeeding times and bedtime. Making these adjustments in advance makes the process easier and helps your child adjust more easily.
Organize the baby’s feeding routine
During the months of maternity leave, it is possible to keep the baby on exclusive breastfeeding, being available 24 hours a day. As you return to work, you also need to make some changes to your child’s feeding routine .
If the child is still exclusively breastfeeding, it is necessary to offer breast milk previously withdrawn with a pump or bottles with infant formula during the day. When your child is over 6 months of age, there is the possibility of putting other foods in the diet, such as healthy vegetables and baby food.
Learn to deal with the feelings of that moment
Many women feel guilty about leaving the baby in someone else’s care and returning to work. It is normal for the emotional side to be shaken by this drastic change in routine, and it is necessary to learn to deal with these feelings .
It is interesting to understand that emotions related to this moment in life are part of this change. With calm and patience, it is possible to learn to live with this new routine and reduce your suffering. This will also be important to your work productivity and happiness , so it pays to take care of your mental health.
Think positively and do not convey insecurity to the child
Facing change with positive thinking is essential to dealing with the end of maternity leave. When returning to work, it is important to understand that resuming activities is beneficial and necessary to achieve your professional career objective . This understanding creates more security for the mother.
When the mother shows insecurity, it is possible that the baby will notice this feeling. As bad as it feels to be away from your child, it’s a good idea to show your child that he or she will be safe and cared for during your absence. This is important for the child’s future, as it contributes to the development of autonomy and independence.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve brought you some tips to get you organized on your way back to work when returning from maternity leave and move to a board position. This is a delicate time, but with planning and calm, it is possible to overcome difficulties and make a safe and smooth transition. This way, you will have more energy to work and you will know that your child has all the necessary support.
