p36-37 Knowledge feature Sept11 8/9/09 14:45 Page 37
ttglive.com
workplace knowledge
with current projects and changes. But even ■ Planning pre-maternity leave: those who
with these link-ups, evidence shows that the plan coming back before taking leave
MY EXPERIENCE
return can still be daunting. often have a more successful return.
One travel manager, who prefers to
Becky Dack
■ Managing the change in identity: how
branch manager, The Co-operative
remain anonymous, found it very tough women feel when they become “career
Travel, Scarborough
when she returned to work after the birth of professional and mum”.
her first child. Another professional offering maternity “When I took maternity leave with
“When you come back, you’re expected to coaching specifically for the travel industry my first child, I found it OK going
just carry on,” she says. “I really struggled. is recruitment expert Debbee Dale. back. They allowed me to return
You doubt everything you do. Also, because “My friend started panicking in the 11th doing just four days a week.
I had no need to do things like write a month of her 12-month leave,” she says. “This time round, I feel I’ve really benefited from
business letter in my time off, I had to “So I started to coach her back into it, using my ‘keeping in touch’ days. I’ve been going in on a
re-learn how to do it.” building up her confidence for returning Wednesday for the past three weeks and I’ll keep doing
She feels the travel industry is a to work.” that until I go back. I recruited a new member of staff two
particularly hard profession for mothers weeks before my leave and by me going in on the training
returning after leave. Coaching invaluable days, he’s been able to see me as a manager.
“It’s so competitive in travel and then Coaching such as that provided by Dale “I also used one of my days for the launch of the
there’s the social scene – but when it comes can prove invaluable, especially in smaller Co-operative Travel brochure and travelled to Manchester
to home time, you might have to leave companies. for it. Now I don’t feel like I’ve missed out at all.”
promptly to collect your child,” she says. As Dale points out: “Managing women’s
“It’s all very well the law saying women return to the workplace really depends on
have the right to flexible working, but the size of the organisation and their HR
there’s no way I could do my job on a department, which, if they are a small
Where to get help
part-time basis – I’d just be working at company, they might not have.” ■ Association of Women Travel Executives
home, unpaid.” Another avenue worth exploring is (AWTE) 020 7537 0111
Anna Hayward is client services director of whether your employer provides any ■ Debbee Dale aaappointments.com
Managing Maternity but previously worked childcare support, which might help with ■ Nikki Bartlett, Zest Learning
as a marketing manager in travel. She says: balancing home and work life. zestlearning.co.uk
“There’s so much out there in terms of There is no requirement to return to work ■ Managing Maternity
inductions and training for new members of after your maternity leave, even if this was managingmaternity.co.uk / 0844 870 0785
staff, but for women returning after having your original plan, as long as you give your
a baby, there is hardly anything to get them employer the correct notice period as stated
back into it.” in your contract.
But if you do decide to plunge back into
Accessing support the industry, be assured that although it
The charity Working Families believes may be stressful, help is available.
that more often than not, women who are
supported during their leave will come back
to work. Hayward agrees, adding: “Those
people that feel they have been supported
through their pregnancy often want to pay
back an organisation with loyalty.”
If women can maintain contact with their
manager and talk through any potential
problems during leave, this can pave the
way for a successful return.
Nikki Bartlett from Zest Learning is devel-
oping a training programme for mothers to
help them return to work, and for employers
to understand the maternity issues affecting
women in the workplace.
From her research in this field with Dr
Lynne Millward Purvis of the University of
Surrey, Bartlett is developing techniques to
help people deal with what she believes are
the three main factors affecting women’s
return to work:
■ Psychological contracts: how the
unwritten [work] contract is translated at
work by line managers. It is worth checking out if your employer provides any childcare support to help with balancing home and work life
11.09.2009 37
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