How women on a career break can mainstream themselves with a full-fledged career
“Stop and savour the moment!”, I said to myself as I decided to take time off from work to adjust to motherhood. It was a decision that surprised everyone, including myself. Always career-oriented, I had immersed myself in work soon after completing my studies and enjoyed every bit of it. But after five years and working endless hours, I felt it was time for a pause. Just that I promised myself, it would be a short one.
Two children and thirteen years later, I’m glad I kept the promise.
Today, when I am often asked, how to get back to a full-time career after a break, I say, these five concrete steps can help you on your journey:
1. Plan well and keep a minimum time-gap
Whether a career break is from moving to a new town post-marriage, the spouse’s relocation or motherhood, one must try and ensure that the career break is planned with a minimum time-gap. I have often encountered women professionals who after a long hiatus, suddenly realize the need to get back to work. Somehow, they’ve not thought about it or planned for it in advance. Be it relocation or motherhood, if you love your working career, give it a good thought, set a timeline for yourself and plan towards it.
The more the gap in your career, the more difficult it becomes to restart it. Setting a timeline will help you restart your career with commitment and command genuine value among employers. Quite a few career women remain undecided for long periods, and you should decide before it becomes too late. Be firm and decide once and for all — making the choice of being a homemaker can be an equally satisfying journey as getting back to a full-time professional responsibility.
2. Don’t carry any guilt
When I speak to women, I often find them bringing a sense of guilt in their decisions to join back work. New mothers often carry the guilt of having to leave behind the young one at home for a long time. Guilt is natural, and all of us experience it. It stems from us wanting to be good mothers to our children. There will be times when work will take priority, and you will not be able to attend that parent-teacher meeting at school. Don’t let that guilt weigh you down. Focus on what you’re doing right for your child and not on the shortcomings.
Also, remember, choosing how to allocate and manage time between parenting demands and professional demands is extremely personal. There is no right answer. Do what is right for you. Choosing to be at home doesn’t make you inferior. Our mothers who were homemakers were equally competent and good in their jobs. So, get away from the mindset that being a full-time homemaker makes you inferior to an employed person. Whatever you choose, be it staying at home or going to work, it is your sole decision, and none is lesser or greater than the other.
3. Build a sound support system
Having a sound support system with multiple people to fall back on is a must. It can be help coming from home (like your mom or in-laws or husband) or a house help or babysitter. There will be days when the house help won’t turn up, or the babysitter will be on leave, and you will need to call upon your mom or mother-in-law or husband for help.
Use technology to support you wherever possible and get more done in less time. Use the Calendar app to stay on top of everything at school. Set reminders on your phone for school events and activities. Save an essential supplies list in your online shopping cart, so all you need to do is reorder when it’s required. Invest in a CCTV to monitor the goings-on at home while you’re at work if needed, especially if your child is young.
4. Upskill to stay relevant
The key is to stay relevant. Today, for example, take the case of IT professionals — most software engineers with basic coding skills are becoming redundant. Organizations are looking for people with new skills, be it in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) or data science. Utilize the time on your break to enrol in an online course that will add value to your professional education. It will help you get a new age job in today’s digital eco-system easily.
Having been through two breaks during the birth of my daughter and son, I can vouch that if you plan your day well, you can take out ‘cheat time’ to study and upgrade while being at home. This becomes an excellent way to reach out to prospective employers as they then start looking at your new skills rather than you looking at them for plain hiring.
5. Embrace the beautiful chaos
Once you join back, remember, be it children falling ill on the day of an important meeting, a last-minute call from the school to pick them up on a rainy day or the house help not reporting to work will be an on-going reality.
As your children grow up, don’t be under the impression that they will become self-sufficient, and you will be free. You will still be required to drop or pick up your children from after school activity classes and other engagements like inter-school matches or birthday parties. You may even be called upon to referee on the phone as your kids fight while you are doing important work.
Your children’s needs will only change and evolve, but they won’t go away. Somedays the balance will tilt towards your family’s needs and somedays work will take precedence. Again, don’t let that tilt result in guilt. Embrace the chaos. It’s okay if you can’t find a balance all the time.
At the end, as a woman who embraces a full-time career, be proud (and loud). Let the organization know that just like work challenges with a difficult client, an employee not turning up or a last moment demand from your boss, home demands are a reality and have to be met in an equally committed manner. Today, organizations are aware that women constitute a significant part of their talented workforce. An enabling environment is a key to their thriving in the organization.
Being in touch with your employer, colleagues and seniors is an excellent way to re-activate your career. Quite a few women look for part-time or work from home opportunities to restart their careers. My advice would be to start such that you can get back to your career in a full-fledged manner.
In alternative arrangements, unfortunately, the compensation is often much less than what is due. And, if you are looking at a proper career, it is better not to compromise on compensation. Secondly, once you have a part-time or work from home routine, it becomes challenging to get back to a full-time job. Time lingers, and then you often find yourself settling down for roles that don’t do justice to your skills.
Be proud of being a working wife, mom or grandmom! Get up, make that choice and plan well to mainstream your career, and you are sure to find success. If you’re stifled with feelings of doubt, remember the famous saying by Paulo Coelho, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”
