Careers Advice: You can have a family and still be ambitious

I found out that I was pregnant with my first child at 28. I was delighted but I was also unsure how having a baby would impact my career. I am ambitious, I always have been and I knew that whilst I wanted to spend as much time with my new baby as possible, I would also want to come back to work afterwards. 

My husband and I decided to share our twelve months of parental leave, giving both of us the opportunity to enjoy spending time with our baby. This enabled me to initially return to work without the stresses of settling my child at nursery and juggling work and home life. It also helped us both appreciate the challenges of being at home full-time. 

Three years later I had my second child. We shared our parental leave again but returning to work after my second baby was tougher than I anticipated. This was mainly due to having two children, one in nursery and one at school, both with different needs and demands, and juggling this with my career. I was lucky to benefit from career coaching when I returned to work which gave me some useful advice on how to deal with these challenges. I also felt that I would benefit from a role model or mentor who I could speak openly to and looked to the industry for these.

I was also fortunate to be invited to join a ‘Lean In Circle’ with a small group of women from the property industry. Over the last year we have met regularly to support one another and learn new skills. It’s a place where we can be unapologetically ambitious in a supportive environment.  

Talent continues to be lost from the industry because many families don’t believe it is possible to have two successful careers and children. I have set out below my tips for returning back to work following maternity leave:

• Use your ‘Keeping in Touch’ (KIT) days; they are a really valuable way to re-establish yourself back in the team.

• Give yourself time to get back into work; your brain will be slow to start off with. This is normal so try not to get frustrated.

• Things will have moved on whilst you have been away; it will be unsettling to start off with but give yourself time to settle back in.

• If you want/need a flexible working arrangement then don’t be afraid to ask for this but try and work with your employer to find an arrangement which works for both of you. 

• Find a mentor or a support group who you can talk openly to, they may have been through a similar experience and you can benefit from this.

• Have regular catch ups with your line manager and be honest with them about how you are feeling and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

• If you are ambitious and you want to progress your career then make sure you tell your employer so they are aware and your objectives can be focused on how to achieve this.

• Work as a team with your partner at home; if you are both working remember that your job isn't always the most important and try and help each other to manage work stresses.

• Finally, be organised!

Robyn Prince is director at consultancy Boyer Planning