How to return to work after maternity leave as a project professional

You’re not alone in how you feel, and your reaction to re‑entering the workplace after a year away is understandable. Change is happening at a faster and faster pace – something that we truly notice when we’ve been away for a while. In addition, you’re no longer the same person you used to be. Even if you’re still driven to achieve great things at work, your personal circumstances have changed and so have your priorities. That’s okay. You’re stressed because you wish the situation would be different. You wish you could easily slot back into work, hit the ground running and fit five days’ worth of work into four. But for a few good reasons, that’s not the case.

Don’t be a superwoman

I wonder if you would feel different if you were able to fully accept that it’s going to take a little while for you to get up to speed. So often we want to be flawless supermen and superwomen, who can deal with anything without showing any sign of vulnerability or needing to ask for help. But unrealistic and high expectations are a recipe for stress. A much better response would be to show compassion and understanding for yourself. You’re doing your best with the time you have available, and perhaps that’s good enough?

When you substitute guilt for self‑compassion, you’ll feel less stressed and you’ll be better able to think clearly about how to structure your new project. Set some clear priorities and work through them one by one. The rest will follow. Ask yourself what the most important activity is right now. Is it to define the scope of the project? Is it to understand how the business has changed during your absence? Is it to build a better relationship with the project sponsor? Or is it to get to know the team through one‑on‑one conversations, team‑building activities and by collaboratively creating a team charter?

Focus on relationships

Remember that it’s people who deliver projects. The better your relationship with your stakeholders, the more support you’re likely to receive. And the more you invest in creating an empowered and highly functioning team, the more you can draw on it to define and execute the project. Because you feel overwhelmed and only work four days a week, you may feel tempted to stay behind at your desk and try to wrap your head around the project on your own. But becoming overly task‑oriented would be a mistake. To ease your way back into the organisation, get to know your team members and dust off some of your past working relationships, even if they’re not directly linked to your new project. It will help you get up to speed with organisational changes and boost your sense of belonging within the firm.

Invest in a brainstorm

Now would also be a good time to review your strengths and remind yourself of why you’re motivated to keep working for the organisation. When we’re put under pressure, it’s all too easy to lose our confidence and to feel that we’re in the wrong job. Invest half an hour to brainstorm everything you’re good at and all the value‑added activities you have put in motion since you returned to work. If you asked the managers and team members you worked with before you went on maternity leave, what would they say that your strengths are? What are all the reasons why you’re the right person for this job? Don’t dismiss your strengths and your many years of experience. You’re in a place right now where you need to find your feet, and that’s okay. If you see this as a challenge, rather than a problem, you’re more likely to open up to the experience and grow and learn from it.

Discover more help and guidance for returning to work in our resources area

Susanne Madsen is an internationally recognised project leadership coach, trainer and consultant. She is the author of The Project Management Coaching Workbook and The Power of Project Leadership. Do you have a question for Susanne? Email mail@susannemadsen.com

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE SPRING 2023 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.