Returning to work soon?

If you’re thinking of returning to work soon, here are some suggestions to help you work like a Part Time Professional.

• Ask yourself:

  • why you’re going back to work. If you’re just wanting the income, make that your focus – figure out what’s the most effective way to make money. If you want to try something new or build a new skillset, what’s the best way to do that?

  • what work you’re going back to, or what type of work you want to do

  • what your capacity is (how many hours/how much can you work)

  • how work will fit in with your family

  • how you want to work.

• If you’re returning to a job, talk to your manager about your options. Negotiate for the way you want to work – can you work fewer set hours or work some days from home, or could you work on a per-project basis, being paid for the work you produce rather than for the hours you work? You can negotiate by aligning what they need with what you need.

  If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.

• Some companies are trying different ways to help women return to the workforce.

• Try to remember that work probably hasn’t moved along that much since you left. We need to stop imagining things are racing along without us, and instead focus on our experience and the particular set of skills we have that make us employable.

These websites also have great tips to help you with the practical preparation:

Returning to work - Plunket

10 tips on returning to work after a baby - kiwifamilies.co.nz

Returning to work: 5 practical tips to help your child transition to their new routine - careermum.co.nz