Planning a return to work after maternity leave can be a daunting task, during a period of big change in both yours and your family’s life. Just getting back into the swing of working life can be hard, time away from your baby also, can be emotionally challenging, despite all the support from your employer, it might feel like it will take ages to settle back in to your working role again.
More and more often, women returning to work from maternity leave are choosing new paths, and opting for new beginnings. The wish for more flexible hours, or to be able to spend more time at home, combining the new adventure of raising a child with the possibilities of a different, and much more suitable career path might seem daunting, but has never been more practical.
Working from home is a plan that sounds ideal to many women, offering the peace of mind of being at home with your new baby, with the less stressful, more familiar environment of home. Not to mention a far greater degree of control over your working life, many women use the existing skills they have gained, but in a different, and potentially far more fulfilling way.
Virtual Assistant
Roles as a self-employed Virtual Assistant are becoming an increasingly popular choice amongst women returning to a career after maternity leave, if you have the skills and flair for excellent customer service, combined with strong sales, admin and organisational skills, the chances are you have every chance to make your mark in a well paying, self employed industry with rapid recent growth. Making the decision to become a Virtual Assistant can be a great move if you have past experience in an admin role, or as a Personal Assistant.
Bookkeeping and Accountancy
A sector with skills that are a little more specialised, however, if you have accredited experience and qualifications in Bookkeeping or Accountancy then, similar to the Virtual Assistant role, it is very realistic to build a business offering these services to clients on a freelance basis, while working from home. Bookkeeping and Accountancy are skills that almost every business of every size needs at one point or another, and at certain times of the year can prove incredibly popular.
Your Rights
Whether you decide to combine your role as a new mother with a fresh and different direction of career, or you decide to return to your current employer, it is important that you know your legal rights, on wide ranging issues such as phased returns, antenatal support, statutory maternity pay and maternity suspension. As well as your right to flexibility and amended hours. For more information on all these key areas visit the ACAS website, which has some great information.
Are you about to go on maternity leave, have you thought about your options when you return to work?
Mummy B xoxox
*Collaborative Post
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