Heather's Survival Guide to Returning to Work After Maternity Leave

You may have noticed we recently welcomed back Insolvency Manager Heather after the birth of her daughter. We wondered what were her strategies for making the transition back to work as smooth as possible. Here are her thoughts.

How to survive!

My first day back at work was a nice gentle introduction back into office life. It was made better as I got a lovely card and a welcome back carrot cake. This was the calm after the hectic, crazy few weeks organising to return to work.

The key for me was to be organised.

• My daughter is in a bed-time routine where she is normally in bed by seven. This started when she was three months old.
• She was in nursery for a few weeks before I returned to make sure she was settling in and to deal with any issues that arose.
• On a Sunday night, all her clothes for the week are put into piles, so her dad knows what she's wearing in the mornings for nursery.
• Her dad gets her ready in the morning. I am leaving for work by the time she gets up. I then deal with the evenings.
• We know what we are going to have for lunch for the week, so there is no issue wondering what to pack for her.
• Her nursery bag is packed the night before.

As for me, at work I make sure that I take my lunch time. I just need a bit of time, where I am not working or commuting or doing baby stuff. I get out for a walk with colleagues and a bit of a chat. Being organised helps me, but I have friends who love the hectic craziness of being in the moment and just dealing with everything as it comes up.

You do what is best for your family.

Check out Life At Thomson Cooper for more insight into our team.